What is the ‘flavour’ of Christmas for you? Warming notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove? Is it the smell of gingerbread being baked or the comforting aroma of mulled wine? There’s plenty of choice there, but here at Linguini we agreed: regardless of which part of the country you are from, Panettone and Pandoro are just other words for Christmas!
But these two giants of festive baking can be a very demanding project for a humble amateur baker (especially one that’s short on time to spend in the kitchen) so we decided to come up with a simple recipe to try and encapsulate some of that Panettone/Pandoro essence in a syrup that can be used in a variety of preparation – from appetisers to dessert!
We didn’t come up with this syrup, of course: for decades bakers of all levels in Italy have prepared their own Panettone essence mixing their choice of citrus zests and flavourings. We decided to give the one by TuorloRosso a try because:
- It calls for simple ingredients that are readily available in every British supermarket. Blending in the mix a bit of Italian Cut Mixed Peel like the one from Waitrose might resemble more the traditional version though. If you want to keep it simpler, less sugary and fresher then go for the zests but make sure you buy unwaxed lemons and oranges.
- It’s simple and doesn’t require many tools or heating. All you need is a zester and a little jar!
- It allowed for vanilla essence – but this doesn’t mean it’s the best option! We bought the best quality vanilla essence we could find but we still think it doesn’t come through enough so if you can afford it, by all means go for the actual vanilla pods.
This syrup can be stored in the fridge for a few days in the fridge, especially if you are using the candied citrus peel.
Stay tuned for more inspiration on how to use it for your Christmas recipes!
‘Panettone’ flavoured Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 Lemons (zests only)
- 2 Oranges (zests only)
- 50 g Granulated Sugar
- 100 g Honey
- 15 ml Good quality Vanilla Extract ..or 2 vanilla pods, even better!
- 30 ml of Marsala liqueur or any other spirit of choice (we actually used brandy) Optional
Instructions
- Zest the oranges and lemons, add honey, sugar and vanilla essence.
- Let it rest for at least 24h before using to give time to the ingredients to release all flavour.
