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Every spring and fall, I make a point to go through my spice and dry goods cabinet looking for soon to be expired items, rearrange products and take inventory. A couple of weeks ago I found a pannetone leftover from Christmas. Not wanting to waste it, I came up with this great recipe that can be used for part of your brunch menu. I like to serve this bread pudding with crème anglaise. You can make your own crème anglaise, but I found it much easier to purchase my favorite vanilla ice cream and let it melt down. That sure beats purchasing all the ingredients and having to cook down the cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract.

1-1/2 lbs Panettone
6 large eggs
3 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the panettone into about 1″ slices and place on a baking sheet or two, making sure they are placed in a single layer. Place in the oven for a total of 15 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, turn all the bread over and bake for an additional five minutes until the bread is lightly toasted. Butter a 9″x13″ baking dish and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, add the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and blend well. Once the bread is toasted, lay a row of bread into the baking dish, then pour some of the custard mixture over the toast, pressing down each layer, allowing for the bread to soak up the custard. Alternate until all the bread and custard are in the dish. Place the baking dish onto a baking sheet. This will make it easier to place into the oven and keep your oven clean in case some of the custard spills over. Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the over for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the custard is set. Check by pressing into the center of the dish, it should be firm. Let cool for at least an hour. Serve in a small bowl and top with crème anglaise. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds. Yields approximately 12 servings.