Pandoro antica ricetta by Chiostro di Saronno ⋆ The Flo Show.com

I didn’t disappear in a sugar coma…

I decided this year to take a break, take a few days off my very demanding work at www.tricotin.com and put my cooking to a minimum to enjoy being served and finally relax a little bit.

I rarely take a day off but this year, most of our suppliers were closing off so I thought it was a great opportunity to rest. And boy I enjoyed it! So my stock of photographed recipes is super low and my camping shots level is pretty high.

In Australia, there is this strange tradition of going camping during the Christmas break. I’m everything but a camping fan but I made an effort for my little one, my youngest, Léonore, who never slept in a tent. Also, Santa got her a Peppa Pig sleeping bag… I spare you the atrocious night with a rain of bat poo, baby crying and toddlers screaming… Léonore slept like a log and had a great time.

My only consolation was to eat delicious Christmas treats. One of them was the very expensive Italian Christmas brioche Pandoro antica ricetta by Chiostro di Saronno. It was sold at David Jones for about $40. We bought it like I always do, in the few days after Christmas, on the sales table for half price. “It’d better be good” we cried…

And it was… Yes it was… This sort panettone baked in a star shaped mould is very flavoursome, light and disastrously addictive. It is naturally leavened and contains secret ingredients and flavours I cannot describe. There has to be some sort of alcohol and a light orange taste, but very light.

I want to find out how this is made…

This glorious brioche is baked in an ancient Franciscan cloister located in the centre of the town of Saronno. The company makes liqueurs such as Amaretto, biscuits and panettone, all presented in enchanting vintage boxes.

I will definitely look for those biscuits and alcohols in the future.