Rocky Road

It was always the sweet smell sugar and chocolate that alerted me first. Small hand ensconced in my mother’s, eyes darting around for the entrance. The sweet heady aroma of chocolate and assorted sweets would waft from the shop door always drawing hungry shoppers in. My mum had a penchant for liquorice all sorts and straps. A bit of a monthly indulgence on our Saturday shopping trips she’d stock up ensuring there was always a jar of soft squishy liquorice black straps in the cupboard and a smaller one of cubes of all sorts. Not a liquorice girl myself I was always more taken with the mountains of chocolate. Jars and jars of it, all available by individual piece and more, wrapped in brightly coloured crinkly packaging invitingly displayed just within a child’s reach. I would always delight in the small offerings of the sales assistants keeping me occupied while mum stocked up…or quite possibly enticing me to pester mum for something yummy for me as well. They wore long full skirts that would swish with each step around the store they took and billow sleeved blouses, adorned with equally long bib and skirt aprons and full bonnets that reminded me of shower caps all as a nod to the heritage of the brand. They were the type of local brand who’s wares were coveted, indeed my mother in law always cherished a gift of a box of assorted chocolates.

Alongside her love of liquorice mum also loved rocky road bars. Come xmas she’d stock up on these some cut into bars in individual clear bags their squishy shiny marshmallow and jewels of Turkish delight shining out from the rich chocolate coating and others cut into cubes piled abundantly in bags with small fragments of nuts piled at the bottom like prized debris. She loved having a basket of goodies at hand that she could gift people. Generous to a fault she hated the thought of not showing her fondness for those around her at Christmas time. From the postman, to work colleagues, school teachers and friends everyone was thought of and many the recipients of treats from our favourite chocolate shop.

To be honest I’m a bit the same. I love small offerings of love at Christmas and do indeed include as many of those in my life as I can. Spiced cookies, shortbread, mince pies and fruit cake all feature prominently but his year I wanted to include something a little different. I was reminded of Mum’s rocky road love and as always my fondness for putting my spin on a recipe. I recall my small fingers as a child picking the individual jewels from the chunks and licking my fingers of the melted chocolate as my mind darted around with ideas for my version of Rocky Road. I’m particularly enamoured with these marshmallows, large cubes like small sugary pillows and fragrance that bursts from the packet. Tumbled with floral Turkish delight jellies, golden caramel popcorn and crunchy cashew nuts I like to encase them in dark chocolate to balance out the sweetness with a few pops of tart craisins for little bursts of sour. I’ve also kept the big, lovely pieces of marshmallow and Turkish delight jellies whole because it’s one less thing to do and then when I’m eating it and then enjoy chunks with each delicious ingredient. You could chop marshmallow and Turkish delight into smaller chunks if you prefer to have candy cocktail with each bite, it’s entirely up to you. You may also prefer milk chocolate or even white, it will all be delicious and loved by all those in your life to whom you make a small offering of chocolate love this Christmas.

Ingredients:

250gm turkish delight (rose flavoured, the pink one)

140 gm marshmallows

1 C dry roasted whole cashews

2 C caramel popcorn (remember Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs?)

½ C craisins

725 gm of dark chocolate (I use this one.) roughly cut into small pieces

2 Tb grape seed oil or other neutral flavoured oil.

Method:

Line a 30cm x 19cm straight sided slice tin with baking paper leaving a few centimetres overhang on each side so you can easily lift the slice out for cutting when set.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except chocolate and oil. You can cut up the marshmallow and Turkish delight if you wish. I like to leave it whole, saves time and the gives you pieces with big chunks of favourite ingredients.

Bring some water to a simmer in a small to medium sized saucepan suitable for a glass bowl to sit on top ensuring there isn’t too much water that it will lick the bottom of the bowl when placed on top.

Put chocolate pieces in a second large bowl big enough to fit over the saucepan you have simmering on the stove. Place the bowl on the saucepan keeping the water at a gentle simmer. Melt the chocolate until just smooth remove immediately. Stir through oil until well combined. This should help the chocolate cool a little so we can add it to the other bowl with melting the marshmallow and Turkish delight. Once cooled to room temperature, pour over first bowl and stir through until well combined and all the ingredients are coated. Tip into prepared tin, smooth out until mostly well distributed and pop in the fridge uncovered to set for at least one hour or until firm.

Cut into chunks of your own size preference and gobble up!

Panettone Bread & Butter Pudding

Walking into my Nana’s kitchen through the back door on the evening of the second Sunday of December annually would always make my eyes pop. Even though I knew what awaited I would eagerly skip through the side gate running through the flowers, past the heaving plum tree and up the four steps through their back door. Joining my cousins, aunties and uncles in my Nana and Papa’s small kitchen my eyes would fall longingly on the kitchen table covered in every dessert imaginable. Everyone would gather and mingle sharing stories of the year and season’s preparations. We’d all eagerly await the full compliment of family members to arrive before being seated with Uncle Ron’s rousing “howdy folks,” always the final greeting and signal that everyone was in attendance. I suspect he would watch from his front window next door until everyone had arrived before making his cheery entrance seemingly enjoying the groan, jeers and laughter his late would always elicit. Dinner was always a classic traditional roast served on a collection of trestle tables and fold up card tables all dressed in the finest family linens kept only for this annual evening and my Papa’s birthday in December. Plates were passed down the line until everyone was served and the accompanying silence a sign of the enjoyment of nana’s days of labour creating our Christmas feast. While we all munched happily we’d all be preoccupied with that kitchen table. My Nana’s love language was food before love languages were a thing. She’d toil for the week leading up to our celebration ensuring that everyone was served their favourite dessert. There’d always be plum pudding for Papa, a collection of slices for one family, another set of cousins eagerly feasted on loganberry pie and my brother and I would tuck in to apple pie with custard.

This tradition that we all still reminisce about is my strongest Christmas dinner memory and one of the biggest lessons I learnt from her. To make the time to make sure there’d always be everyone’s favourites at the table at the one time of the year where there can never be enough food or delicious desserts on offer.

In the spirit of this tradition I’ve tried to create some of my own favourites that we can look forward to every year. And so I offer you my personal favourite, Panettone Bread and Butter pudding. A smorgasbord of Christmas flavours and comfort food all rolled into one using the traditional Italian Christmas bread and the English method of baking old bread in a custard mixture. It can be made ahead and warmed on the day and can even double as breakfast served with yoghurt….or cream and custard because its Christmas and we’re not going to split dairy hairs.

Dating back to the Middle Ages Pane di Toni (as it was originally named after the young chef who invented the dish) Panettone has evolved through time to become as big a part of Christmas food traditions as Roast Turkey, Plum Pudding, Egg Nog and any other delicious Christmas treat you can imagine. The citrus and fruit flavours reminiscent of the heavier plum pudding or fruit cake options bring a seasonal zing baked in the custard laced with a little hint of spiced rum and tang from a sprinkling of dried cranberries. Inspired by Stephanie Alexander’s Bread and Butter pudding this is my Christmas take on the classic.

1 medium sized traditional panettone – I use this one which weighs in at 700gm

50 gm butter very soft for spreading

3 large eggs

1 ½ cups thickened cream

1/2 cup milk of your choice

¼ c caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp spiced rum

1 Tb dried cranberries

1Tb sliced or slivered almonds

1-2 Tb of raw sugar crystals

Preheat oven to 180c.

Prepare a ceramic or glass baking dish greasing well with batter. I used a 24 cm round as pictured.

Combine eggs, cream, milk, vanilla, sugar and rum and whisk well. Allow to sit while you construct the pudding.

Halve your loaf from top to bottom creating two half circle pieces. Slice each piece in thick slices approximately 2cm thick. Spread each slice with softened butter. The block type that you’d bake with not the spreading type from a tub…because it’s Christmas. Lay slices in dish sprinkling cranberries over first layer of slices then top with a second layer of bread.

Pour custard mixture over bread evenly and gently press bread slices with your flat hand to help the bread absorb the custard. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes while you clean up, or even a couple hours in the fridge, so all the custard has soaked into the panettone. Just before placing in the oven sprinkle over the raw sugar and almonds, bake 45 minutes.

Check the pudding after 20 minutes to check how it’s browning. My oven can be quite warm at the back so I always rotate it half way through so it browns eavenly.

Allow to sit for half an hour before breaking into it to allow it to firm up a little making it easier to serve.

Notes:

Use heavy cream or whipping cream in place of what we call ‘thickened cream’ if you’re reading from the northern hemisphere.

If you’re panettone is little plainer in flavour you can add a tsp of freshy grated orange rind to the custard.

For a richer pudding spread marmalade or a Christmas flavoured jam on half the slices. Cherry or redcurrant jam works well.

If you prefer an alternative to the cranberries halved pitted cherries are delicious dotted through the pudding between bread layers.

Brandy can be used in place of the rum or omitted if you prefer.