Panettone French toast with pears in Marsala

Make the pears in advance so there’s time for them to soak in the Marsala syrup. Heat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Halve the pears but don’t core them – it’s fine if they look simple. Put them in a bowl, cut-side down, with the lemon juice.

Put the Marsala, sugar and 100ml water into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat. Place the pears in a gratin dish or ovenproof dish, in which they can lie in a single layer.

Add the vanilla to the syrup, then pour over the pears and bake in the oven until tender, basting with the liquid occasionally, about 25-30 minutes. How long this takes depends on the ripeness of the pears. If the liquid around them is quite thin, thicken it by draining it into a saucepan and boil to reduce. Pour it over the pears. If the liquid is too thick, add water. Leave the pears to sit in the syrup for a day, covered and stored in the fridge.

Mix the eggs and the extra yolks, the cream, milk, sugar and Marsala. Put the mixture into a dish where it’s easy to soak the panettone. Let each slice soak in the cream mixture, but not for so long that they fall apart.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter in a large frying pan and fry 2 slices of the panettone for 1-2 minutes each side until golden. Repeat with the remaining slices. Put a slice on each of six plates. Dust a little with icing sugar, then put 2 pear halves on each serving, spooning on the Marsala juices. Serve with thick double cream or crème fraîche.