One of our favourite advantages to these festive days that are approaching is the proliferation of offers of fresh panettone (of course, game, shellfish and turbot also excel in this season). This sweet bread is an enriched bread with candied citrus peel, raisins and chocolate that stands out for its soft and airy texture. To produce this traditional Milanese loaf requires laborious techniques and extensive proofing.
Since the early 20th century these processes have been able to be adapted for mass production and a surprising number of high quality panettoni are available today in the market to purchase worldwide. The best panettoni are intensely perfumed with citrus fruit and butter, have a light – almost ethereal – texture and a deeply caramelised crust.
One of these examples is Loison’s mandarin version. It substitutes most of the lemon zest for mandarins, giving it a fragrant distinctive aroma. If interested to know where we purchased it, check out Souschef.
Our assessment:
- Good quality raisins and fragrant mandarin peel
- Intense buttery smell and taste
- Vibrant yellow colour which comes from good eggs
- Rich flavour with a light texture
- A long aftertaste
We rate the overall experience quite high, a good choice in terms of quality versus price. This panettone pairs well with a 10-year-old Verdelho, making the eating experience truly moreish.
We are looking forward to trying Iginio Massari’s version in the future. The brilliant Milanese baker sets the standards of northern Italian pasticceria. A more accessible brand and very good value for a decent panettone is Lidl’s Deluxe. We recommend reheating them for 1min in the microwaves for the best experience.
If you happen to have any leftovers after these holidays, an excellent way to use them is to toast them in a pan for a few seconds to bring them back to life and spread some chocolate paste or jam (orange or apricot jam). A perfect post-vacational indulgence.