*SORRENTO LEMON PANETTONE NY TIMES

500 gr Panettone - Italy

This smaller version of the Lemon Panettone - lauded by Marian Burros in The New York Times! - is just as tasty, but costs less! (Sometimes the small one is all you need!) The perfect house warming gift, it's also not a bad idea to have it handy in the car, in case you end up in one of those awful holiday traffic jams. While everyone else is frowning, you'll be smiling! Happy Holidays from all of us at ChefShop.com

Unlike the traditional panettones that are studded with raisins and candied citrus, this ethereal panettone is made with lightly candied Sorrento lemons, and I swear that you can almost smell the heavenly scent right through the box. Light and buttery, soft in texture, it will melt in your mouth, and the aroma and flavor of the Sorrento lemon will drive you to distraction. It is the perfect dessert for that holiday feast or open house. Serve it with some espresso or Vin Santo, and Buon Natale! Quantities are limited this year.

About the Producer:

Albertengo's motto is; "we make a high quality cake which has to satisfy us first of all," and they live by it. Their Panettone and Pandoro are some of the finest available, anywhere. For four generations Albertegno has been a family owned and operated bakery. Great-grandfather Giovanni Battista was a baker, and so too were grandfather Michele and father Domenico. While Massimo in the current generation no longer follows this tradition, his sister Livia does. Four generations of craftsmen serving the community.

It all starts with the natural yeast starter. This "mother" is kept from the day before to start the next day's production. It is the original stock that has been brought forward over the years, in a process that has been renewed day after day. This mother adapts to the atmosphere in which it lives, taking on some of its characteristics from the surrounding environment - in a different environment it would behave differently.

They choose the finest flours available, and the fruits they use are personally chosen to ensure they are of the highest standard. The cakes are shaped and placed into molds. The dough is first divided and rolled, and then the Panettone is put onto movable trolleys to enable the leavening process to take place in a natural manner. In this way each piece can be monitored throughout the whole process.

Glazing is done prior to baking. Albertegno believes that glazing enhances the final products, and they only use first quality ingredients, Piemonte hazelnuts, cane sugar and Amellina almonds, which they grind and refine themselves. During baking the Panettone are hand checked to ensure an evenly baked cake results. They are then turned upside down to cool for 8 to 10 hours.

The cakes are placed in transparent cello bags to ensure that the quality is maintained and then they are wrapped by hand, a process that only adds to their visual appeal. The Panettone are then stored for two weeks to let them mature, completing a ripening process that allows all of the flavor to reach their peak and harmonize with one another.