The Star of the Holidays

We're practically twinkling with excitement over here about a new Pandoro that we've found from Pasticceria Filippi. This traditional pandoro, literally "golden bread," is a buttery brioche cake with cloudlike crumb, beautiful yellow color (thanks to plenty of free-range eggs) and delicate vanilla bean fragrance that will send you to the moon.

In Christmases of yore, pandoro was a treat reserved for the Venetian aristocracy, the lucky few who could afford treats enriched with butter, eggs and sugar. Thank goodness times have changed! Now we can all bring home this special holiday delight, made with the Filippi family's 40-year-old yeast starter and baked in a tall, star-shaped mold until - you guessed it - golden. The finished loaves are hung upside down to cool in order to maintain their celestial shape and out-of-this-world texture.

Dusted with the powdered sugar included in the package, your pandoro's tender peaks and valleys are meant to resemble the snowy Italian Alps in winter. Serve everyone their own slice of the mountain with sweetened mascarpone, zabaglione or spiced fruit compote. Or hollow out the center of the loaf and fill it with ice cream.

Also shining on your holiday table... 

Panettone from Pasticceria Filippi, made with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for incredibly moist domes with gorgeous fragrance. Bring out the wonderful aromas by warming your panettone for five minutes in a 350^oF oven. Then serve with glasses of sparkling wine and torrone.