Ingredients:
butter, for greasing
1 x panettone dough, see page 90, steps 1–9
7oz (200g) mascarpone cheese
7oz (200g) crème fraîche
1 tbsp Kirsch or other fruit liqueur (optional)
12 glacé cherries, quartered
4 tbsp pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Method:
1 Grease the ramekins, then line them with parchment paper. The paper should stand about 2in (5cm) taller than the ramekins.

2 Cut the panettone dough into six, and place 1 piece in each ramekin. Cover, and leave to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

3 Bake for 30–35 minutes. The panettones will be golden-brown. Remove 1 from its ramekin and tap the base. It should sound hollow. If it doesn’t, remove all the panettones from their ramekins, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes. Place on a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

4 Cut a disk from the bottom of each panettone, leaving a rim of around 1⁄2in (1cm). Use a gentle sawing action to lever the disk of bread out in 1 piece. Set aside.

5 Cut along the insides of the rim nearly to the bottom of the upside down panettone. Cut all around, then use your fingers to pull and scrape as much of the interior out as possible, leaving an intact shell.

6 Put the extracted pieces into a mini food processor and reduce to fine bread crumbs In a bowl, cream together the mascarpone and crème fraîche with the liqueur, if using.

7 Mix in the panettone crumbs and beat well. Fold through the cherries and pistachios. Pile the mixture back into the panettone shells and replace the disk of panettone you had set aside.

8 Wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before unwrapping and dusting with confectioner’s sugar to serve. PREPARE AHEAD These will keep overnight in the refrigerator.

BAKER’S TIP:
Panettone is an Italian sweet bread traditionally baked for Christmas. Although the process is lengthy, the time taken is mostly for the bread to rise twice. It is not complicated to make, and gives a marvelously light result unlike a storebought panettone.

Individual Stuffed Panettones