Thursday, December 23, 2004

Buon Natale : Panettone - Italian Christmas Cake

Buon Natale!! (merry christmas in Italian)

Tre Marie Panettone under my Xmas Tree
I was itching for a panettone after ST's post on her chocolate coated panettone. You really should see the beautiful shiny chocolate coating on her panettone. Her post also reminded me of my first encounter with panettone. My Italian homestay offered a large slice to me, toasted and spread generously with butter, but not on Christmas day. So I never realise panettone is actually an Italian Christmas cake!

We spotted Tre Marie panettone at the Grower's market. We grabbed a small one for A$6. Didn't see any chocolate coated one though. Aiya. Quite disappointed. The larger panettone comes in a very pretty tin and it was selling for A$45, I think.

Tre Marie Panettone
♥ Tre Marie Panettone
The mini Panettone is about the size of a large muffin. A sweet, rich and intense citrus aroma filled up my living room once I have the plastic wrap opened. The panettone is light and rather soft on the finger. It bounces back if you press lightly.

A slice of tre Marie Panettone
♥ A very small slice of panettone
The panettone tastes like a cross between a cake and bread. It is too soft and fluffy to be considered a bread yet not soft and densed enough to be considered a cake. The sweetness is further complimented by the dried fruits and orange peels so it does not taste as sweet as we thought it would be. The panettone goes well with a cup of tea and don't forget to spread a thick layer of nutella on it before you eat! ;-)

Tre Marie - Panettone with lots of fruits
♥ heaps of dried fruits in my panettone
We found most dried fruits (sultanas and orange peels, luckily no glaced cherries!) were actually stuck at the bottom of the papercup. My fingers did some great exercise by trying to scrub and pinch all the remnants of the panettone at the bottom of the papercup!

We saw Baci Panettone at Myer the other day but decided to wait until Christmas is over so we could grab a discounted one. Hopefully it's not all gone before Christmas! *fingers crossed*

Merry Christmas, everyone! muakksssssssss
and a
Happy New Year!