I could have typed that.

The main difference panettone has over a traditional fruit cake, is panettone's no where near as heavy. You don't get that clogging, almost punishment like feeling that you do when eating extremely heavy, rich fruit cakes.

When you cut into panettone it's aerated, it's like a honeycomb, full of mini pockets of air. Plus it's not brimming with fruit either, so if your not a fan of fruit you could easily pick that out, in which case you'd be better off buying a pandoro.

I'd describe it almost as a bread rather a cake, texture wise anyway. I'll more than likely be having it for breakfast for next couple of months I enjoy it that much. And when I do have it as more of a desert, it tends to be with warm custard.

For those umming and arring about it, go for it!

Absolutely!

So it's like a toasted teacake then, apart from the fact that it's not toasted and not covered in lashings of gorgeous, hand-churned local butter, melting throughout?

No ta, it still sounds too much like cake to me

It's quite nice, more bread than cake, makes a wonderful bread and butter pudding.

That's what I'm doing for Christmas pudding this year, well, Boxing day as the evil witch has the kids on Christmas day this year. Lots of french butter, generous helping of cinamon and nutmeg, and home-made cremé anglaise. Job's a good-un.

Respec'

I haven't made pastry in years.
Mind you, I was never any good at it, something to do with my hands not being cold enough.

Wot, no custard?

Cheers!



I do tend to worry sometimes on that score myself - after all, how do you actually know what it too warm and what's okay? But I don't seem to have too much bother. I do enjoy making pastry. My first attempt at a pie, a week ago, was a midweek, so I thought I'd 'cheat' and use shop-bought pastry - until I realised the ingredients included vegetable oil and lemon juice. I went home and just made my own instead, with half butter, half lard. The pastry for the meat and potato pie was 100% lard.

When I were a lad, I used to think that cheese with fruit cake was the normal "done thing".
But it seems it's mainly a Yorkshire preference ... and one that I still have.

You get it in Lancashire too.

And the north east of England.

At wintertime in the restaurant we did this as a light alternative. Dried Apricots, chopped orange zest of choc chips can be swapped. Peoper christmas taste to them.

TUSCAN PUDDINGS serves 4
15 g (1/2 oz) 1 tbsp butter
75 g (2 3/4 oz) mixed dried fruit
250 g (9 oz) ricotta cheese
3 egg yolks
50 g (1 3/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, or 1/2 cinamon 1/2 nutmeg
finely grated rind of 1 orange,
plus extra to decorate creme fraiche (soured cream), to serve
method
1. Lightly grease 4 mini pudding basins or ramekin dishes with the butter.

2. Put the dried fruit in a bowl and cover with warm water. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.

3. Beat the ricotta cheese with the egg yolks in a bowl. Stir in the caster (superfine) sugar, cinnamon and orange rind and mix to combine.

4. Drain the dried fruit in a sieve set over a bowl. Mix the drained fruit with the ricotta cheese mixture.

5. Spoon the mixture into the basins or ramekin dishes.

6. Bake in a preheated oven, at 180C (350°F) Gas Mark 4, for 15 minutes. The tops should be firm to the touch but not brown.

7. Decorate the puddings with grated orange rind. Serve warm or chilled with a dollop of creme fraiche (soured cream), if liked.

So, it's not just Yorkshire.
Interesting.

Nice to see that education is spreading.

Mind, that said, where I grew up is only over the river from the dark place (but that is far enough thank you) and very close to Wensleydale itself.

I have a question.

Sultanas, raisins and currants. Can we just drop the pretence and name them all the same thing?

Oooooh, provocative or what?

I'll go first ...
Sultanas are light-coloured and only part-dried.
Raisins are dark sultanas.
Currants are dryer raisins.

Next ....

In my baking cupboard at home there is 2/3rds of a bag of sultanas, 2/3rds of a bag of currants and 2/3rds of a bag of raisins. They've sat there since this time last year, taunting me. There is nobody who would know the difference if I did the decent thing and chose sides in the currant wars.

My geordie wife and all of her relations thought I was completely fruitcake the first time I asked for cheese with christmas cake, I can't imagine eating a piece of christmas cake without a slice of wensleydale.

Chuck them in stir-fry's, lumps of chicken, sweetcorn, a little mustard, maybe some dried chilli seeds and sultanas (the big fat ones), salted peanuts or cashews go nice too - and then on a bed of simple boiled long grain rice.

Ey up lad, we don't often see you round these parts. Must come from livin' wi' three lasses

The wife's sister married a man of Kent - his reaction was somewhere between hilarity and horror. Still not won him around to the idea.

Quote ="vbfg"I have a question. Sultanas, raisins and currants. Can we just drop the pretence and name them all the same thing?'" No britishfood.about.com/od/glossar ... dfruit.htm

Quote ="vbfg"I have a question. Sultanas, raisins and currants. Can we just drop the pretence and name them all the same thing?'" No britishfood.about.com/od/glossar ... dfruit.htm

Thank you for your input. I feel chastened and am unlikely to confuse the different types of dried grape ever again.

Ah, civilisation hasn't quite reached the East of the Medway then.