Dessert, No Wine Needed

So it’s not so much that no wine was needed.  It was just that both times I made Racheal Ray’s Eggnog Panetonne Bread Pudding, the pairing wasn’t well thought out.  The first time was for Christmas, and I was too worried about all the food I was making to think about dessert wine. BK happened to have a Muscat Canelli that was an okay match, but nothing special. The mini puddings, with their fresh whipped cream, were a bit rich for the light wine. The second time I made the recipe, it was while I was in Mississippi. And it was the night before I left, so we drank the last bottle from my case–Rosenblum Hendry Zinfandel. I knew it wouldn’t be a good choice, despite its rich, cholcolatey goodness. The flavors weren’t right for each other, but I wasn’t going to leave that bottle behind. (Good thing, because now it’s now sold out.)

The dessert, which I learned about from Tracey’s holiday menu, will definitely go into my oven again sometime. I have to say, though, the first time I made it with challah instead of panettone, and despite my Italian background, I much preferred it to the second time. The candied orange rinds were just too much. (Or maybe it was the extra rum)