Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 8 ounces fresh cranberries
  • ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 thick strips orange peel
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ⅓ cup water
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 1¾ cups buttermilk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • 1 loaf Italian Panettone (ideally several days old or stale)
  • unsalted butter (for cooking)
  • warm maple syrup (for serving)
  • powdered sugar (for garnishing (optional) )

Instruction

  • Prepare the Cranberry Compote: Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook until the cranberries have burst and the mixture has thickened. Set aside to cool. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.
  • Prepare the French Toast: In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Set aside.
  • Remove the panettone (ideally several days old or slightly stale) from the paper baking wrapper. Using a bread knife, slice the loaf horizontally into 1 to 1¼-inch thick round slices. Slice each round into half moons. 
  • Heat a tab of butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat until small bubbles begin to form. Right before cooking, dip the panettone slices in the buttermilk-egg mixture, turning them until they just become saturated (note: if your Panettone is very fresh, do this step extremely quickly, as the bread is delicate and can become mushy quickly). Allow any excess egg-buttermilk mixture to drip off and place in the hot buttered pan. Cook in batches to avoid over-crowding the pan. Cook the french toast until golden brown on each side, flipping carefully with a wide heatproof spatula.
  • Top the hot Panettone French toast with a spoonful of cranberry compote and serve with warm maple syrup. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.