Festive bread and butter pudding

Ingredients

750 ml	Milk
6	Eggs, yolk
500 ml	Cream
150 g	Vanilla sugar
100 g	Dried cherries, chopped
1	Panettone
100 g	Candied orange, or glace oranges, chopped
1 tsp	Cinnamon
1 cup	Chopped nuts
1 cup	Pitted prunes, chopped
100 ml	Brandy

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 175C.
2. Cover the prunes with the brandy and warm slightly in the microwave. Leave to stand.
3. Place the milk, cream, cherries, oranges and cinnamon in a large pot. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat immediately.
4. Cut the panettone into 1cm slices and line the bottom of 6 individual or 1 large ovenproof serving dish.
5. In a large round-bottomed bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, pour a small amount of the hot milk on to the egg and sugar, and stir to combine. Repeat again and finish by whisking in the rest.
6. Drain off any excess brandy from the prunes and add to the custard.
7. Spoon out the fruits from the custard, distribute them and the prunes evenly across the panettone and pour over enough custard to cover. Arrange the remaining panettone on top.
8. Spoon over as much of the custard as you can possibly fit, making sure to saturate the panettone as much as possible.
9. Finish by sprinkling the chopped nuts on the top and place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes (or 30 to 40 minutes for a large one) until edges start to set but middle is still soft.
10. Serve warm with vanilla bean icecream and a glass of dessert wine.