Panettone Ice Cream

Written By Elanne Boake

I was such a picky child that my parents allowed me to eat cake for breakfast— because that was one of the only things I’d eat.

Every year, once November rolled around, the cake in question would become: Panettone.

And as a picky person though, those candied orange peels HAD to be evicted from the cake. But even with all my siblings and I having a distain for the orange bits, we never bought any other flavour of Panettone because… it just didn’t taste the same without the phantom orange peel flavour.

Which is precisely why it is a key part of my Panettone flavoured Ice Cream.

Now I’m grown up, I have a more sophisticated palette so I eat the orange peels.
The raisins tho? They can still f**k off. (I jest, add them too if you like!)

Let’s make it!

Recipe:

Special Equipment:

  • ice cream machine (Cuisinart Ice 21)

  • blender (or immersion blender)

  • sieve

  • small wire rack

Candied Orange Peel:

  • 1 navel orange

  • 70g sugar

  • 40g water

  • water for boiling

Fill a saucepot with water, and place it over high heat. Bring to a boil.

Wash the orange well, removing any stickers or waxy bits if present. Start by cutting the top and bottom off of your orange.

Create (6 or so) vertical slices around the outside of the orange, just deep enough to reach the flesh. Peel the skin off the orange. (Save the fresh fruit for anything else you desire— we only need the peel!)

Use a knife to trim away most of the white part on the orange peel segments. The white part is bitter, so the more we remove the better.

Cut the segments into thin strips.

Add the orange peel strips to the pot of boiling water. Submerge for about 45 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the pot, placing them in a strainer. Run the peels under cold water to stop the cooking. Discard the pot of water.

In a separate small saucepan, add the 70g sugar and 40g water. Let the sugar dissolve and come to a simmer. Slowly the bubbles will begin to get larger, and the sugar will thicken. This might take 3-5 minutes— (in sugar terms, we are looking for “soft ball” stage)

Once the sugar reaches that slow bubbly consistency, add the blanched orange peels.

Let the orange peels simmer in the sugar mixture for about 2-3 minutes, or until they become softer and the sugar has thickened.

Take the pot off the heat and transfer the candied peels either to a wire rack or a tray lined with parchment paper. Allow them to cool, and dry out uncovered for 1 day. When they are ready to use they will no longer be sticky to the touch.

Panettone Ice Cream:

  • 300ml 2% milk

  • 325ml heavy cream

  • 50g classic panettone cake

  • 80g granulated sugar

  • 35ml corn syrup (or honey)

  • 8ml vanilla extract

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1g salt

  • one batch candied orange peel

One day before making: Make sure to store your ice cream basin in the freezer for at least 24 hours. Or prepare your equipment according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a medium sized sauce-pot, add your heavy cream, milk, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla extract. Give it a whisk to combine.

Add your panettone cake, broken into pieces.

Place the pot on a burner over medium-low heat, and bring it to a gentle simmer. Steep the cake for about 5-8 minutes, or until mushy and soft.

In a small separate bowl, add your egg yolk. While whisking constantly, add a ladle of the hot milk/panettone mixture to the bowl to temper the egg yolk. Add one more ladle full of the hot milk, and whisk.

Add the egg yolk/milk mixture back to the pot on the stove. Over low heat, whisk or stir the pot continuously until it thickens ever so slightly. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Once the mixture can coat the back of a spoon, turn of the heat.

Either use a stick or handheld blender to puree the panettone/milk mixture, or transfer it to a blender to make smooth. Pass the ice cream base through a sieve to get rid of any potential lumps of bread or egg.

Add the salt, and give it a stir. Let the mixture cool before covering and storing in the fridge for 4-6 hours.

To churn: Only churn once the ice cream base is completely cold! Transfer the ice cream base into your prepared ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

I churned this batch in my Cuisinart ICE 21 for about 15-18 minutes. When it’s done it should be super thick!
Right at the end of the churning process, add the candied orange peel, chopped up into tiny pieces. Allow it to mix for another 30 seconds to disperse the peels.

Transfer the ice cream to a container for storing in the freezer, or eat right away with a slice of panettone!

This ice cream is super simple to make and just overall delightful, i couldn’t believe how much it tasted my panettone—like my CHILDHOOD! It’s slightly sweet, yeasty and can be used as a fairly neutral base for many toppings.

Elanne Boake
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