Gino D'Acampo's ‘freeze-ahead’ Italian Christmas pudding
According to research, the traditional Christmas pudding is OUT, and the Italian classic panettone is IN - with sales in some supermarkets up by 40% from last year. So today Gino is in the kitchen showing you what to do with yours with his freeze ahead festive pudding. A mix of ice cream, panettone, fruit and nuts it’s the perfect alternative to a traditional Christmas pudding… and one less thing to think about on the day!
‘Freeze-ahead’ Italian Christmas pudding
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
400g chocolate and hazelnut ice cream, softened1.5cm thick slices panettone, cut to the size of the tin30ml Amaretto liqueur500ml double cream200g condensed milkFinely grated zest of 1 orange (ideally unwaxed, if possible)80g amarena cherries in syrup, drained, syrup reserved50g roasted hazelnuts, crushed1 tbsp finely chopped candied orange zest
Method
1. Line a 1.2kg loaf tin with baking paper or cling film, making sure you have at least 10 cm extra on each long side, so you can cover the top of the pudding.
2. Spoon the ice cream into the prepared tin and use a spatula to level it out.
3. Lay the piece of panettone on top of the ice cream, gently pressing down. Drizzle over the Amaretto to soak into the panettone.
4. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then fold in the condensed milk, orange zest and cherries. Cover the panettone layer with the cream and fold over the cling film to cover.
5. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 6 hours, or ideally overnight.
6. Remove the spumoni from the freezer about 5 minutes before you are ready to serve. Slice it into thick pieces and serve sprinkled with crushed roasted hazelnuts, some of the cherry syrup and the candied orange zest.