Panettone with zabaglione custard and pears
Prep time: 1 hr 15 minsTotal time: 
Panettone with zabaglione custard and pears
A traditional Italian sweet bread traditionally enjoyed at Christmas, panettone adds a touch of luxury to this creamy trifle, layered with a boozy custard and tender poached pears
Prep time: 1 hr 15 minsTotal time: 
Franco's
This legendary Italian institution has been a fixture of London’s St James’s area since 1945 – and is one of the capital’s oldest Italian restaurant still in business. Head chef Stefano Turconi curates a popular all-day service with a menu that’s filled with the best Italian produce, from the double espressos with breakfast to the lobster linguine at dinner.
Franco's
This legendary Italian institution has been a fixture of London’s St James’s area since 1945 – and is one of the capital’s oldest Italian restaurant still in business. Head chef Stefano Turconi curates a popular all-day service with a menu that’s filled with the best Italian produce, from the double espressos with breakfast to the lobster linguine at dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices of panettone, cut into 3cm pieces (about 400g)
- 20g dark chocolate, chilled (we used 70% cocoa solids)
For the pears
- 300g caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 pared strip of orange peel
- 4 pears, cored and cut into 2cm dice
- 20ml rum (optional)
For the zabaglione
- 100ml marsala wine
- 370ml milk
- 2 pared strips of orange peel
- ½ tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
- 10 egg yolks (about 140g)
- 140g caster sugar
- 30g cornflour
- 400ml double cream
Step by step
Store the poaching syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Use in cocktails to replace a simple syrup.
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For the pears, pour 300ml cold water into a saucepan and add the sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel. Bring to the boil, then lower in the diced pears. Gently simmer for 15 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Add the rum, if using, and set aside to cool completely. Once cool, remove the pear with a slotted spoon and reserve the syrup for other uses.
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For the zabaglione, pour the marsala wine into a saucepan and bubble until reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Add the milk, orange peel and vanilla, then bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat – don’t worry that it will separate.
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In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until smooth and combined. Add a little of the simmered milk mixture to the egg yolks to loosen, then scrape it all back into the pan with the milk and whisk for 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from the heat, cover with clingfilm so it’s just touching the surface to help prevent a skin, and cool to room temperature. Once cool, discard the orange peel.
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Whisk the double cream to very soft peaks in a large mixing bowl, being careful not to over whisk. Fold into the cooled custard mixture. Reserve a spoonful of the pear and fold the rest into the custard.
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In a small trifle bowl, or in individual glasses, alternate layers of panettone and custard, finishing with the custard. Grate over the chocolate to finish and dot with the reserved pears. This can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge, loosely covered with clingfilm.
With a large amount of leftover egg whites, it’s best to freeze in ice cube trays or food bags, with the amount of egg white written on each bag, for easier use later.
