Panettone French toast with pears in Marsala

Name: Panettone French toast with pears in Marsala
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 conference pears; 1 lemon, juice; 215 ml Marsala wine; 65 g light brown soft sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract

Diana Henry recommends you prepare the pears the day before you serve, so the Marsala has time to infuse the flesh. Be careful with the panettone – soak it for long enough to absorb the cream and milk, but not so long that it falls apart.

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Serves6
CourseDessert
Prepare15 mins
Cook40 mins
Total time55 mins
Plussteeping

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For the pears

6 conference pears
1 lemon, juice
215ml Marsala wine
65g light brown soft sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the toast

4 British Blacktail Free Range Medium Eggs, plus 2 yolks
55ml double cream
50ml whole milk
1 pack golden caster sugar
2 tbsp Marsala wine
500g panettone, cut into 6 thick slices
3 tbsp Essential Olive Oil
45g unsalted butter
Icing sugar, for dusting
Thick double cream or crème fraîche, to serve

Make the pears in advance so there’s time for them to soak in the Marsala syrup. Heat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Halve the pears but don’t core them – it’s fine if they look simple. Put them in a bowl, cut-side down, with the lemon juice.
Put the Marsala, sugar and 100ml water into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat. Place the pears in a gratin dish or ovenproof dish, in which they can lie in a single layer.
Add the vanilla to the syrup, then pour over the pears and bake in the oven until tender, basting with the liquid occasionally, about 25-30 minutes. How long this takes depends on the ripeness of the pears. If the liquid around them is quite thin, thicken it by draining it into a saucepan and boil to reduce. Pour it over the pears. If the liquid is too thick, add water. Leave the pears to sit in the syrup for a day, covered and stored in the fridge.
Mix the eggs and the extra yolks, the cream, milk, sugar and Marsala. Put the mixture into a dish where it’s easy to soak the panettone. Let each slice soak in the cream mixture, but not for so long that they fall apart.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter in a large frying pan and fry 2 slices of the panettone for 1-2 minutes each side until golden. Repeat with the remaining slices. Put a slice on each of six plates. Dust a little with icing sugar, then put 2 pear halves on each serving, spooning on the Marsala juices. Serve with thick double cream or crème fraîche.

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