Panettone French Toast
Recipe follows story
Christmas morning breakfast wouldn’t be complete without Panettone.
1st course: Struffoli
2nd course: Panettone
Rather rum with a bit of Panettone. My dad liked to hit the bottle early on Christmas Day. A drinking man he was not, but rum on his Panettone - well, he would soak the cake through.
Mom: J, stop it! Cut it out! No more!
Dad: Ev, why don’t you relax!
Mom: No, stop!
Dad, still pouring - honking slice of Panettone drowning in a pool of rum. Eaten with fingers and washed down with coffee, I can still picture him - digging in - smiling - claiming his Christmas morning meal.
Mom said dad exercised restraint this Christmas, he didn’t even wet the paper plate, Tinamarie. He just used a little.
Nice work daddy.
Although I did enjoy hearing you and mom duke it out, it must be nice to start the morning without an argument.
And in a pretty home, out on Long Island, overlooking a big yard, filled with fat squirrels chasing one another - we too had drunken Panettone. Although, my aunt, uncle, cousin and myself explored a different avenue for early morning rum consumption.
Tina: Aunt Deb, you think that’s enough rum?
Aunt Deb: Yeah I think that’s enough.
Tina: Ok. Ok.
Aunt Deb: Well, I don’t know - I think your dad would use more than that.
Tina: You’re right, he would.
Aunt Deb was a little more heavy handed with the rum than she would’ve normally been, as we free poured booze in our egg wash and enjoyed some delectably drunken Panettone french toast.
Delicious would be an understatement.
So, Christmas morning breakfast is dedicated to my dad, Gennaro Raphael Corrado, the man who likes a slice of Panettone with his rum.
And while we ate breakfast and unwrapped gifts this morning, we already moved on to conversations revolving around, yes, more food.
Next year, I’m buying everyone matching sweat suits for the holiday. Breathable and non-binding clothing is the only thing one should wear when marathon eating is going down.
Panettone French Toast
makes 6 servings (2 slices per person)
1 Panettone cut into 12 1” slices
6 eggs
2 T. half and half
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 T. of rum
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
4 T. butter
Griddle pan
Butter for serving
Warm maple syrup
Powdered sugar
-Heat griddle pan over medium flame with butter
-Beat together eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, rum, cinnamon and nutmeg
-Quickly wet each slice of Panettone, on both sides, and place on the hot griddle
-Cook until brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side
-Serve topped with butter, warm maple syrup and powdered sugar
