Christmas Delights

Luxury XMAS gift hampers can be the best thing ever. Especially, if they have the products that are particularly a must have around this time of the year.

You can create a gorgeous Christmas dish from all the contents that will be at your disposal if you get the hamper. It may include a lot of products such as Chianti, Prosecco, bottle of Touraine Sauvgnon, piccalilli, savoury thyme biscuits, English fudge, strawberry jam, Christmas pudding, box of chocolates, brandy butter, giant chocolate coin, tea and coffee.

However, the main item in the hamper you will get is panettone that is enriched, intense, slightly sweet Italian bread, which will fill your kitchen with its signature aroma once you open the cellophane wrapping. Panettone is one of the signature dishes of Christmas, and if you are willing to put in some effort, a lot of it mind you, then you can try your hand at making it. However, the guaranteed satisfaction will make it worthwhile.

19Serving panettone just like that to the guests can be uninspiring and a bit bland. Here we present to you a way you can jazz it up and serve it as a finger-food.

Panettone Party Bites

Ingredients:

  • A large panettone (750g-1kg)
  • Some chocolate to melt (you may use the chocolate coin)
  • Festive cookie cutters
  • Edible gold glitter (optional)

Take the panettone, peel off the cardboard casing and place the bread right side up on a cutting board. Take a large bread knife and score marks right around the circumference, approximately 1.5cm from the bottom. Slice off a whole round and try to keep the same thickness. Punch out shapes using festive cookie cutters. Repeat this till you have the desired number of cut-outs. Place the bread pieces on a baking tray and toast on a hot grill plate for a minute.

Keep an eye on them as they brown very fast. Toast till golden, it will help keep the shape and will be easier to handle. To get a combination of crisp and soft texture, toast just one side. Remove from under the grill and allow it to cool. After cooling, arrange them closely together, untoasted side up, on a baking sheet ready for chocolate piping. Take the chocolate coin and melt it. Give the melted chocolate a stir until the chocolate becomes smooth. Keep in mind not to overheat it or else it will become all lumpy.

Take a sandwich bag and in corner, spoon in the melted chocolate. Twist the bag around the corner to create pressure and snip to make a piping hole. Be careful as the chocolate comes out immediately. Make pipe lines across the bread. Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, keep it in air-tight containers until ready to serve. Do not throw away the pieces of bread that did not form perfect cut-outs. Have them when you make strong coffee.

Bon appétit!