Zuccotto di Panettone : Christmas pudding from the Two Greedy Italians
Who else is loving the Two Greedy Italians on SBS? Their enthusiasm for eating is so contagious that ‘Wonderful!’ and ‘Fantastic!’ are now the words that first come to mind when it comes to good food. The recipes are also great for home cooks; simple and wholesome, all you need is fresh produce and a bit of TLC.
On the lookout for a lighter pudding recipe for Christmas this year, Antonio Carluccio’s zuccotto recipe absolutely fit the bill. A northern Italian dessert traditionally made with plain sponge, this recipe calls for panettone, providing another way to enjoy this festive cake. Versatile, easy to construct and requiring no cooking, prepare this on Christmas Eve and set overnight for a wonderful (…see what i mean?) fruity pudding on Christmas day.
Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!!
Adapted from Two Greedy Italians
Ingredients (makes two 15cm puddings)
- 1 large panettone, 1kg
- 1kg ricotta
- 150g caster sugar
- 100g glace fruit, finely chopped (Italian glace fruit can be found at nut stores and delis)
- two handfuls of flaked almonds (or two handfuls of any nuts you have on hand, finely chopped)
- 100g of chopped dark eating chocolate
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 150mL Vin Santo (Italian dessert wine, or use any dessert wine)
Method
- Divide the ricotta, caster sugar, chopped fruit, nuts and chocolate between two mixing bowls and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the cocoa to one of the mixtures, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate the two mixtures until required.
- Line two 15cm pudding basins with cling wrap, leaving excess around the edges to help you turn out the puddings later on.
- Cut 4 round discs, ~1.5cm thick, from the bottom of the panettone and set aside. Slice the remaining cake vertically into 1.5cm thick slabs.
- To assemble to pudding, line the pudding basin with slices of panettone and brush with Vin Santo. Spoon in half the chocolate/ricotta mixture and press down firmly with the back of the spoon. Place one of the panettone discs over the top, pressing the edges to seal against the side of the pudding (you will probably need to trim down the disc slightly). Brush the top with some more wine. Spoon in half of the ricotta mixture, top with a second panettone disc and brush the top with wine. Repeat with remaining ingredients for the second pudding. Cover both with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight with something to weight down the top.
- To turn out the pudding, remove the weight and cling wrap from the top. Turn over onto plate, ease off the bowl and peel off the remaining cling wrap. Dust with cocoa powder and/or icing sugar to serve.
egg tarts and apple pie 