PANETTONE FRUIT PUDDING

Unfortunately I'm not a great fan of panettone, it's the bits of peel I'm not keen on but I love getting them at christmas because they usually come in such beautiful tins.  In past years I've made them into bread and butter pudding but this year I wanted to come up with something different.

This is my version of a summer pudding with a hint of winter.  I've added mulling spice I had left from a hamper and star anise to the fruit in an attempt to make christmas last just a little longer.

Over a medium heat warm 900g Soft Fruit with 200g Sugar.  I used a bag of cherries and a bag of mixed berries that included blackberries, strawberries and redcurrants, both were frozen but you can use fresh. Blackberry and Apple are also a good combination. To this add 2 Star Anise and 1 Mulled Wine Spice bag.

Gently cook for 5 minutes till the sugar has dissolved and the juices begin to run. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly while you line your basin or ramekins.

You will need 2/3 of a Large Panettone to make 6 individual ramekins or a 1 1/2 pint pudding basin.  I lined mine with cling film to make them  easy to store remove.  Cut a circle to line the base then add slices slightly overlapping around the sides.  Fill each one with fruit and juices, reserving about half the juice, then cover with a panettone lid.

Place each pudding on a baking sheet, bring your cling film over the tops of the ramekins to cover then place another baking sheet on top.  Next use a heavy weight on top and place in the fridge.  I used a 3 litre water bottle.  Leave it over night for the juices to soak in.

To serve, turn your puddings out and pour over the reserved sauce to cover any white patches then just add cream x