Combi steamer roasting table

April 22, 2022 4:32 pm / 6 Comments /

Roasting table - pork rib roast

Well it’s nearly Winter here in Australia so it’s time to use your combi oven for one of its best advantages – roasting meat!

I have had a lot of response to the ‘Bread baking table’ here so thought that you are all crying out for a quick reference guide for cooking the perfect roast! It is as simple as weighing your meat, seasoning it and setting the combination setting to allow for radiant heat and moisture.  This will give you mouth watering results and a crisp top.  Yes, the best roasts you have ever had!

Many brands have lots of Automatic functions and these are great too.  Sometimes it is difficult to decide “Do I use this auto program which is one hour” or “Do I add the times manually myself, which if I work it out on the table below would be 1.5 hours?”.  The answer is simple; it depends on the weight of the meat.  The auto programs can only be designed around joints or cuts of a certain weight so if you have a piece of meat or a chicken of that size then by all means use the Auto program but don’t try to put a huge chicken in it as it will not be cooked.  My Miele oven has the ability to add or reduce the ‘browning’ but not the time.  Adding browning does not add time either so be aware of that one…. If you have small, expensive cuts of meat then don’t chance it to an Auto program.  Have a look at my Perfect Rack of Lamb recipe here for a guide for the weight/cooking time.  You can find other recipes in the Combi steam cooking section and I will be adding more from time to time.

My best advice apart from using your appliance as much as possible would be to make sure you cover the fan.  If your combi comes with a fan cover – use it!  The oven will get dirty cooking roasts.  See cleaning the combi here.  Don’t leave it too long before cleaning in the traditional way (check your manufacturers instructions).  I would do a soak cleaning program and a traditional clean after say three roasts.

Now weigh your meat and work out the time per kilogram from the timing in the chart and then convert that to the Combination settings from the table.  The general ‘roasting weight times’ however are based on cooking in a moderately hot conventional oven so reduce the time or temperature in the combi.  You can always add another stage of cooking if it is not cooked enough which is better than overcooking.  Have a look at a few of my recipes for a guide.  For example I have used different temperatures for roasting chicken and both had great results.

It is easy once you get the hang of it as you can see which timing is starting (Stage 1), main cooking time (Stage 2), resting time if there is one (Stage 3).  Remember to always rest your meat before carving.  Some people say it should be rested for as long as you cooked it but with the combi you don’t need to do it that long.  On slow roasting settings like the lamb here you don’t need to rest it at all.

ROASTING: Combination mode. Est times, temperatures & moisture level
This is a guide only and can be varied according to taste.
Stages Temp
(Degree C)		 Moisture % Time
Adjust Below		 Core Temp
Pork joint with crackling 1 100 95 15 65-80
2 220 30 20
3 160-180 50 Time/weight
4 130 30 Time/weight
Pork neck fillet 1 200-225 30 20 65-80
2 180 50 Time/weight
3 130 30 Time/weight
Cooking times: Without crackling: 25-30 min per 500g plus 25-30 min extra
With crackling: 220C for first 20 min then reduce heat
Beef Joint 1 200-225 30 35-40 55-70
2 100 30 Time/weight
Beef fillet 1 210-225 30 20-25 45-70
2 100 30 Time/weight
Cooking times: 10-20 min per 500g depending on doneness & cut of meat
Veal fillet 1 200-225 30 20-25 50-85
2 100 30 Time /weight
Cooking times: Similar to beef
Rack of lamb 1 225 30 20-35 45-70
2 100 30 Time/weight
Leg 1 200-225 50 25-30 60-80
2 150 40 30-50
Boned leg 1 180-200 30 30-40 60-80
Cooking times: 15-20 min per 500g plus 15-20 min depending on doneness & cut. Boned and rolled joints add 5 min extra per 500g
Whole
chicken		 1 200 95 40 75
2 200-225 30 10
Drumsticks 1 200 95 20 75
2 200-225 30 10-15
Cooking times: 20 min per 500g plus 20 minutes. Chicken is cooked when thickest part of thigh when pierced has clear juices
Whole turkey
up to 4 kg		 1 120 30 180 75
2 190-210 30 15-25
Turkey breast 1 190-210 95 20-30 75C/165F
2 100 30 Time/weight
Cooking times: Up to 5.5kg allow 15-20 min per 500g (stuffed weight).
Up to 9kg, 10-15 min per 500g (stuffed weight).
Turkey breast/roll allow 20-25 min per 500g.
Whole
duck		 1 100 95 30 75
2 130 30 60-90
3 180 30 10-20
Cooking times: 40 min per kilo
 Duck breasts:  See Tips & Tricks here.
* The lower the temperature Stage 2 is the more tender the meat will be.

This table has been adapted from Miele’s book and general roasting times and temperatures so obviously check your manufacturers times and recommendations that apply to your combi steam oven.  It is meant as a guide only.  Some of you may find that you need longer cooking times and this also applies to how you like your meat (rare, medium or well done?).

I would love to have your feedback whether this table made it easier for you?

Image: www.donaldrussell.com

 

Posted in: Combi Steamer, Main Courses

Salmon with pistachio crust on pearl barley salad

January 22, 2022 9:00 am / Leave a Comment /

I love coming up with new flavour combinations, especially for healthy salads.  This dish was a winner for a recent special occasion.  It looks amazing but wasn’t difficult to cook at all in the combi although the salmon does need to be cooked separately.

Use your favourite combination of ingredients for the salad making sure that you have a variety of textures.  As the pearl barley takes the same cooking time in the steam oven as brown rice you can substitute this if you prefer and especially if you are gluten free.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

4 small fillets of salmon or ocean trout, skinned and pin boned
60g butter, softened
½ cup chopped pistachio nuts
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Grated rind of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Salad:
1 cup pearl barley, washed and drained
1¼ cups vegetable stock
1 bunch asparagus, cut into thirds
3 small, fresh radish washed
¼ cup chopped, fresh parsley
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate molases
1 tsp honey or to taste
pinch sea salt

Method:

  1. Firstly, cook the pearl barley in the steam oven with the stock on 100°C for 40 minutes.
    When there is two minutes to go on the timer, add the asparagus.  Close the door and let it finish cooking.
    Remove and set aside to cool.  Wipe out the steam oven.
  2. Now combine the softened butter with remaining ingredients for the salmon topping and set aside.  It should be a spreadable consistency.
    Lay a piece of baking paper in a solid steam oven tray, add salmon and spread butter mixture over the top of the fillets. Do this 10 minutes before so to let the salmon come to room temperature.
    Preheat combi oven to 170°C Fan Plus while you prepare the salad.
    Slice the radish with a mandolin or slice very thinly.
    Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake to combine.
    Add other salad ingredients now to the cooled barley, stir in half the dressing and set aside.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  3. Now to cook the salmon; Select Combination Mode 170°C + 90% moisture add salmon and cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked to your liking.  Obviously the size of the fillets will determine the cooking time.
  4. Plate up the salad and serve with the pistachio nut topped salmon.  Drizzle with a little dressing and garnish.  Yum!

 

Posted in: Combi Steamer, Dinner parties, Fish, Salads / Tagged: , , , ,

Best ever Christmas pudding

December 25, 2021 8:22 am / 33 Comments /

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Time to make the Christmas pudding!

A couple of years ago I discovered this pudding recipe somewhere and scribbled the ingredients down onto a post-it-note.  Apologies to anyone who created it as I don’t remember where I found it but I changed it a little from the alcohol perspective and used an old cherry brandy that I kept for Christmas cooking.  You can also just use regular brandy as I did last year and it was still wonderful.

Christmas pudding is always a traditional one in our family.  None of this ice-cream sort, trifle or pavlova.  My daughter said it’s the best thing about Christmas!  I will never forget we drove 13 hours to have Christmas with my parents once and my mother produced a ‘home brand’ pudding.  Shock – horror, I don’t think she recovered for weeks!  So the pudding last year was said to be the best pudding I had ever made (and that’s saying something!!) so I thought I would share it on the blog for you all to try to make nice and early this year.

Don’t make it the week before Christmas, it needs time to mature and more time for the extra brandy to be lovingly brushed over the top from time to time 🙂

Below are both steam oven and traditional stove top cooking options.  This is where the steam oven really comes into play.  In 6 hours you will need to re-fill the water container several times but that is SO much easier than attending to a pot on the stove.  You can also attend to other things knowing that you have a good 90 minutes of cooking time in each full water bottle (depending upon which brand of steam oven you own.  Please check your instruction book to see how long your water container will last before needing a refill).  You can get a lot done in 90 minutes can’t you?  Most brands will tell you when the container needs more water which is just so convenient.  Overall it was incredibly easy to cook this pudding in the steam oven.

*Over the years I have had lots of comments on this post.  Until now I didn’t think that it was possible to cook the pudding in a ‘cloth’ in the steam oven.  I always have used the basin method and any puddings I have eaten that have been boiled in a cloth had quite a thick outer almost ‘skin’ which I always thought came from immersing it in boiling water.  Tonight I witnessed Maggie Beer cook her Christmas cloth pudding in her steam oven!  Certainly a first to my knowledge for TV viewers.  So, apparently you can, so prepare your cloth in the usual way, fill the pudding, tie securely and cook for the same time as you would on the stove.  Her recipe looked about a small 3 cup size and took 2½ hours.  If you use my recipe which was very similar to Maggie’s then it will make two puddings in cloths, place them both on the large solid steamer tray and cook at 100°C for 3 hours.  Remember to be present to top up the water tank if you don’t own the plumbed in model.

Ingredients: Makes 1 large 8 cup pudding

250g butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
750g mixed fruit
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
3/4 cup dates, chopped
1 cup brandy
1½ cups Plain flour, sifted
1teaspoon mixed spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon bicarb-soda
½ cup slivered almonds
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Method:

  1. Soak the fruit in the brandy overnight. A couple of days won’t hurt.
  2. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar with a mixer until pale.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.   It may curdle but that’s OK. Remove beaters.
  4. Now in a big bowl fold through the fruit, brandy and then sifted dry ingredients, almonds and breadcrumbs
  5. Mix really well.
  6. Grease an 8 cup pudding basin or ceramic bowl well.  Line the base with a baking paper circle and pour in mixture.  Level out the top.
  7. Cover with 2 layers of baking paper that have a ‘pleat’ on the top to allow for rising.  Tie securely with string around the rim of the basin.  If you are using two small, metal steamers then you can just grease the inside of the lid and use that.
  8. Steam in steam oven @ 100°C for 6 hours.  Because it will take a bit more time to go back to temperature after each water refill I ended up removing it about 20 minutes before the end of cooking time.  Let it rest for about 15 minutes then run a knife around the sides and turn out onto fresh baking paper and foil.  I prefer to remove it from the basin while it is hot so it wont stick.  Wrap securely and when cold place in a plastic bag in a cool place until Christmas.  In Sydney I think it’s better to store in the refrigerator just in case it is humid.  This way I can open it up easily and brush with a little more brandy 🙂
  9. Bring your pudding back to room temperature a few hours before reheating, unwrap and return to the basin.  Cover with foil and secure with string again.  Reheat whole pudding, covered in basin for 2 hours @ 100°C.  Line the basin with strips of baking paper you can use as ‘handles’ to get it out easily.  You can do individual slices for approx. 10 minutes each, just uncovered in the solid steamer tray.  This is what I do as it is really quick, I do four slices for about 20 minutes in total.

OR bring a large pot of water to the boil.  Test that the water comes half way up the sides of the pudding and steam for 6 hours being sure to top up the water so it doesn’t boil dry.  You will need to watch it carefully and do this a few times.  If you are cooking in a pot I would also cover with a layer of aluminium foil.

See comment above here * for a traditional ‘cloth’ pudding method.

Serve with your favourite sauce, cream and fresh berries.  Our favourite sauce is an old traditional Ballarat recipe that only one person I know uses.  It is more like a ‘Brandy cream’ and you can find the recipe here.

Note:  To cook two smaller pudding basins, say 5 cup capacity each cook for 4 hours.  For individual 1/2 cup ramekins cook for 1 hour.

 

 

 

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Steam Oven

Spicy Red Lentil Soup

October 3, 2021 5:21 pm / 1 Comment /

Apologies, it’s been so long since my last post.  This is my new go-to soup that I can just pop into the steam oven and let it cook away while I get on with my day.  Perfect for cooking in Sydney lockdown while you work from home! You can basically use whatever ingredients you have in the fridge.  Sometimes I cook it with a carrot mix, sometimes with pumpkin.  If you use more starchy vegetables then remember to reduce the lentils or add more stock.

Rich and hearty it really hits the spot on a cold Winters day!  You can change the coconut milk to cream and increase the amount slightly for a richer, more luxurious texture.

Use the deep steam oven tray measuring 325mm x 265mm x 65mm which you can purchase online at Miele or Commercial cooking outlets.  You could use a large casserole dish (without a lid) or lasagna dish but the timing will be longer.

Ingredients:

2 brown onions, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder or one fresh chilli, sliced
1 cup red lentils *see note above
3 large carrots OR half a butternut pumpkin, thinly sliced
4 celery sticks, sliced thinly
1 medium kumera, peeled and sliced very thinly
800ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste (only if you don’t use commercial stock)

To finish
1 cup coconut milk or cream
freshly chopped coriander

Method:

  1. Sauté onions & garlic in a little oil with the spices.  This just cooks out the spices and rounds off the flavours.  You can skip this stage but I don’t think the flavour is as good.
  2. Pile everything into the deep steam oven tray and cook in steam oven @ 100oC for 1 hour.
  3. Cool a little until warm.  Do not process immediately as this can be dangerous.
  4. Puree in a blender when cool with coconut cream for a super smooth deliciousness 🙂
Posted in: Entrees, Gluten free, Healthy eating, Soups, Steam Oven, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

Website fixed :)

September 30, 2021 4:34 pm / 1 Comment /

Apologies everyone, my website is now up and running again with a new SSL Certificate.Please continue to enjoy my recipes and I will post again soon.

Happy cooking, Trudy

Posted in: Uncategorized

Beetroot & white bean soup

July 10, 2021 1:06 pm / 5 Comments /

Beetroot & white bean soup

Except for a stock here this is my first soup I’ve cooked in the steam oven.  I had this idea to cook a roast beetroot soup, thinking that roasting the beetroot in their skins gives a more intense flavour until I realised that it would be a waste of time as steaming retains all the nutrients and flavour anyway.

So why is it that I haven’t cooked soups in here before?  I guess I didn’t have a deep enough solid steam oven tray until I purchased one and also I was concerned about the difficulty of moving a deep pan of liquid in and out.  In fact I shouldn’t have worried about either of these things.  Yes, I did buy a deeper pan but to be honest you could use any oven proof container you own that will fit into your steam oven and secondly, although you have to be careful of not tilting the dish full of soup it isn’t that difficult to maneuver you just have to be careful to keep it level.  It certainly was great not having to worry about the soup reducing or catching on the bottom of a pot and washing up one shallow container was a breeze.

I also liked that the finished soup was exactly as I made it, no need to add any water as the extra liquid generated by the steam oven was enough.  Perfect in fact, the soup was delicious, quick, with no extra salt (except what was in the packaged stock) and easy to make.  A delicious, well balanced soup that everyone will enjoy.  Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and chopped fresh dill to garnish.

Ingredients:  Serves 6-8

600g fresh beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 2 large)
1 large leek, thinly sliced up to the top leaves
2-3 carrots, sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large knob ginger, grated
1 tsp ground cumin
1 litre good vegetable stock
1 x 400g tin white butter beans, drained
Greek yoghurt and fresh dill to serve

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients, except butter beans in a deep, solid steamer tray or pot that will hold 3.5 Litres of liquid and place on the bottom shelf of the steam oven.
  2. Cook at 100°C steam only for 35 minutes.
  3. Open the door and stir half-way through the cooking time.
  4. Add drained butter beans and cook another 15 minutes.
  5. Cool slightly and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  6. Taste for seasoning.  If you used packaged stock you won’t need to season it at all.
  7. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of freshly chopped dill.
Posted in: Gluten free, Soups, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Spiced chicken

May 27, 2021 2:48 am / 6 Comments /

Spicy chicken

This is my lighter version of a recipe from Frank Camorra from the SMH last year that I thought would be a perfectly delicious thing to cook in the combi steamer.  You will get succulent, juicy chicken with a crispy skin as the steam and radiant heat will work together.  The automatic chicken program on the Miele is excellent but this time I have taken the back-bone out of the chicken and flattened it which will make it quicker to cook so use Combination mode for this one.

If you don’t have a Miele then some of the the other brands will also allow you to put in your time, temperature and moisture level.

Serve it with the Pearl Couscous with dried fig and coriander that I am also posting (and cooking in the steam oven).

Ingredients:

1 x 1.2kg Chicken
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 heaped teaspoons smoked paprika
2 heaped teaspoons ground cumin
2 heaped teaspoons ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, rind & juice
Olive oil to moisten marinade to a paste

Method:

  1. Mix all ingredients except chicken in a freezer bag or flat dish.  You may add a little oil here if you wish.  I find it turns the spices into a paste with the lemon juice which is better than a dry spice rub.
  2. Add flattened chicken and rub the paste all over the bird.
  3. Marinate overnight
  4. Before cooking, remove from fridge and place into the solid steamer tray
  5. Let it sit to come to room temperature, just before cooking drizzle with about 1/4 cup of olive oil.  I tend not to add the extra oil if I added it to the marinade paste.
  6. Ensure that fan cover is in place on the back wall to protect the fan
  7. Cook @ Combination mode 180°C plus 30% moisture for 45 minutes.  If your chicken is larger you will need to increase this time up to 1 hour.  I have also cooked a 2kg chicken for 1 hour 15 minutes (turning it over for the last 20 minutes) and it was cooked perfectly.  For a larger chicken baste about half way through cooking.  Turning did moisten the breast too.
  8. Remove from the oven, baste with the juices and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
  9. Cut into portions to serve with a bowl of natural yoghurt that has a little garlic added.

You can see the chicken is perfectly cooked.  It was so juicy and tender!  If you are cooking for a longer time I would probably cover it with foil for the last 15 minutes.  The juices were delicious, remove the fat and serve with the chicken too.

 

 

 

Posted in: Chicken, Combi Steamer, Gluten free, Main Courses

Hot cross buns

March 29, 2021 12:00 pm / 3 Comments /

Hot cross buns

Hot cross buns are even better cooked in a combi steam oven!  The addition of the moisture in the cooking process produces a lighter crumb and a delicious, crunchy top.  After all, this is how the commercial bakeries cook their yeast breads and buns so you know it is going to be even better cooked at home.

I use to make hot cross buns each year but now that I have a combi and I have to say that there is a remarkable difference.  I remember they were heavier and the top wasn’t as crunchy and delicious.  Worth using the proper bread flour rather than standard plain flour, it is now readily available in your usual supermarket.

It is nearly Easter so get baking now!  Another delicious treat for Easter from the combi steam oven would be the Brioche pear tart here

Ingredients:

450g strong bread flour + extra for kneading
7g dried yeast
50g caster sugar + 1tsp
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
225ml warm milk
1 medium egg, beaten
50g melted butter
100g sultanas
20g mixed peel
50g plain flour

For glaze:
2 tbsp apricot jam or marmalade plus a little water.

Method:

  1. Put the bread flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt in the bowl together with the mixed spice and cinnamon, mix well.
  2. Make a well in the centre and add the milk, egg and melted butter.
  3. Mix with a wooden spoon, then transfer onto a floured worktop and start kneading with your hands.
  4. Knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.  I needed quite a bit more flour as the mix is quite wet.
  5. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film. Put in a warm place for at least an hour or until doubled in size.   If your combi has a dough proving function you can put the dough in for this time and just leave it, turned off when the set program is finished.  Leave for about an hour in total until doubled in size.  The Miele program for proving is 15 minutes and you can find it in the Auto Programs, “Special”.
  6. After that time transfer back onto a floured surface flatten a bit and scatter over the sultanas and mixed peel.  Knead a few more times.
  7. Divide the dough into 16 even portions and shape into smooth round rolls. Place on the flat combi baking tray, greased or lined with baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to rise again for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Mix the plain flour with 4-5 tablespoons of water and 1 tsp of sugar. It should have a thick paste consistency. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe white lines on the rolls to make crosses.
  9. Bake on Combination mode 190°C + 90% steam for 15 minutes then add another cooking stage; 160°C + 30% steam for 6 minutes.
  10. Warm the jam or marmalade with a little water until melted.  Strain it into a clean bowl, removing any fruit.  Brush over warm buns when they are out of the oven.  Makes them look even better!

Delicious served warm with butter and a cup of tea 🙂

 

Posted in: Baking, Bread, Combi Steamer, Easter

Mexican beef short-ribs

February 2, 2021 2:54 pm / 3 Comments /

Mexican beef short-ribs

This is Neil Perry’s recipe which hit the top 2013 list here. The difference is that I have converted it to cook in the steam or combi oven.  Neil firstly boiled the short ribs for over an hour in a pot on the stove, changing the water twice then baked them in the oven for about an hour and a half so that the meat was falling off the bone. No need for all that messing around with a steam oven.  You can steam them instead of simmering (no need to bring to boil, replace water and wash up another pot) and then either cook them in the combi with extra moisture if you want a thinner sauce or if you only have a steam oven, bake them covered in a conventional oven.  Only one dish to wash up and preparation time is less.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

1 kg beef short ribs (ask the butcher for the thick, meaty end)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 long green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
large pinch sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground all-spice
400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tbsp pickled jalapeño chillies, chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
350ml chicken stock (I have reduced it, use more for a thinner sauce)
juice of 1 fresh lime
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked

Method

  1. Start this preparation a day ahead if possible.
  2. Place the ribs in the solid steamer tray.  Steam @ 95°C for one hour.
  3. Drain and set aside to cool.
  4. While they are cooking make the sauce:
  5. Heat the olive oil in a deep frypan that will fit into your oven or combi.
  6. Add the green chilli, garlic and spices and saute for 1 minute until fragrant.
  7. Now add all the other ingredients except the lime and coriander.
  8. Return the cooled ribs to the sauce and marinade overnight if possible.  Neil didn’t do this but it’s bound to give the ribs more flavour 🙂
  9. Next day cook in the combi oven on Combination mode 160°C + 30% steam, uncovered for 2 hours.  Stir and turn occasionally.  If you don’t have a combi then cook, covered in a conventional oven at 150°C.   I wanted a thick sauce that stuck to the ribs so I cooked mine, covered in a conventional oven for 3 hours.  They were delicious and the meat was falling off the bone.
  10. To serve stir in the lime juice and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
Posted in: Combi Steamer, Main Courses, Mexican, Party Food, Steam Oven

Chocolate & cherry panettone zucotto

December 31, 2020 3:25 pm / 1 Comment /

Panettoni zucotto

Years ago I discovered a great recipe for using panettone and made a strawberry Zucotto.  Everyone really enjoyed it and thought it was such a good idea as you always end up with at least half a panettone that no one knows what to do with.  This is a great alternative to using the leftovers as a bread and butter pudding in our warmer months and a nice way to incorporate the Italian Christmas tradition into your own Christmas or New Year celebrations.

The great thing about this recipe is you can make it a few days before and leave it covered in the refrigerator until you need it.  It makes a lovely addition to a Christmas dessert table if you have a large number of guests or even better for a dessert on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day or New Year’s Eve when you don’t feel like cooking.  Terrific also if you are travelling somewhere where you need to bring a dessert.  It packs easily into an esky with an ice-pack in its original pudding basin for a long drive.

The addition of the fresh cherries in the centre makes it a much lighter, fresher dessert than the traditional.

Ingredients:  Serves 10-12

100g hazelnuts
1/2 (about 400g) large panettone or most of the smaller size
3tbsp Cointreau liqueur
juice 1 orange (remove rind and reserve before juicing)
500g fresh ricotta
1 x 250g ctn mascarpone
80g (1/2 cup) icing sugar mixture
100g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbs finely grated orange rind
200g fresh pitted and halved cherries

Cocoa powder, to dust

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread the hazelnuts over a baking tray. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes or until toasted. Place hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins. Coarsely chop.
  2. Use a serrated knife to cut panettone lengthways into six 1.5cm-thick slices.  Arrange the 3 largest slices, overlapping slightly, around the side of a 2L (8-cup) capacity pudding basin. Place smallest piece of panettone in the base of pudding basin. Brush panettone with about two-thirds of the orange juice and Cointreau which have been combined making sure you cover all the sides and the base.
  3. Use an electric beater to beat ricotta, mascarpone and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth. Stir in hazelnuts, chocolate and orange rind until combined. Spoon half the ricotta mixture into the lined pudding basin, pressing firmly.
  4. Top with another layer of panettone which has been brushed on one side with the orange juice mixture
  5. Now layer pitted cherries over the panettone and top with remaining ricotta mixture.
  6. Top with remaining panettone slice brush with the remaining Cointreau. Place on top of this layer of pudding to enclose filling. Cover pudding basin with plastic wrap that comes over the sides of the basin and place in the fridge with a weight on top for 6 hours or overnight to chill.  Use some cans from the pantry as your weights.

Turn pudding onto a plate and dust with cocoa powder. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice-cream 🙂

Recipe adapted from Taste.com

Posted in: Christmas cookery, Desserts