| Panforte
Makes 1 x 20cm round disc
You will need a sugar thermometer
for this recipe.
1 cup (145g) hazelnuts
1 cup (160g) blanched almonds
1 cup (145g) raw cashews
1 cup (150g) dried pitted dates,
halved
100g red glacé cherries
2/3 cup (100g) plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup (80ml) honey
1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar
1/3 cup (70g) brown sugar
2 tbs water
Icing sugar mixture, to dust
Preheat oven to 160°C. Place
hazelnuts on an oven tray. Place the almonds and cashews on a separate
oven tray. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven.
Rub the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel to remove the skins. Place the nuts,
dates, cherries, flour, mixed spice and ginger in a large heatproof bowl.
Grease and line the base of a shallow
20cm round cake tin with baking paper.
Combine the honey, caster and brown
sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, occasionally
brushing the sides of the pan to remove any sugar crystals, for 5 minutes
or until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil.
Cook, without stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until sugar thermometer reaches
116°C (soft ball stage). Remove from heat; add to nut mixture. Quickly
stir to combine. Transfer to the pan and use your hands to press mixture
to flatten.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely in the pan. Run a sharp
knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and turn onto a clean work surface.
Remove and discard the baking paper. Dust with icing sugar. Store in an
airtight container.
Published in Notebook: Magazine |
 |
Orange hazelnut panforte
Serves about 16
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
3 rice-paper sheets
1 1/2 cups (245g) whole roasted
almonds
1 cup (145g) whole roasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup (80g) Brazil nuts
1/2 cup (100g) candied orange peel,
coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (100g) candied figs, quartered
100g red glacé cherries
2/3 cup (100g) plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp finely grated orange rind
1/3 cup (80ml) honey
1/3 cup (70g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar
2 tbs water
Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly
grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm-round shallow cake pan with
edible rice paper.
Place the almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil
nuts, orange peel, figs, cherries, flour, cardamom and orange rind
in a large heatproof bowl.
Combine the honey, combined sugars
and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, occasionally brushing
the sides of the pan to remove any sugar crystals, for 5 minutes or until
sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Cook, without
stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until a sugar thermometer reaches 116°C
(soft ball stage). Remove from heat and add to the nut mixture. Quickly
stir to combine and transfer to the prepared pan. Use your hands to press
the mixture to flatten.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely in the pan. Run a sharp
knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and turn onto a clean work surface.
Store in an airtight container.
Published in Notebook: Magazine |
 |
Caspar Panforte
about 10 pounds - four 9" rounds,
five 8" rounds, or seven 6" rounds
batter
1 pounds 6 ounces (4 cups) ground
Candied Orange Peel
1 pounds 6 ounces (4 cups) ground
Candied Lemon Peel
3 pounds Nuts (3 Cups = 1 pound)
2 cups White Flour (variation: add
up to 2 cups of Cocoa to flour)
2-1/2 Tablespoons fresh grated Lemon
Peel
3-1/2 Tablespoons Spice Mix
spice mix
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Coriander
1/2 Tablespoon Cloves
1/2 Tablespoon Nutmeg
syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter
2-1/4 pounds (3 cups) Honey – oil
the cup first!
3 cups Sugar
batter
Put candied
orange and lemon peels in large mixer, with bowl and blade already in place.
Mix until combined. Add flour and mix until flour coats the peels and appears
granular. Add spice mix and fresh lemon peel, mix in well. Add nuts and
blend, being careful not to over-mix and smash the nuts. Leave in the bowl.
syrup
Put butter
in a tall pot first, then honey and sugar. Heat and stir, avoiding lumps.
Raise flame and heat to 265 degrees, remove from heat and add to batter
immediately. Mix together well, being careful not to overmix.
While the
syrup is cooking, prepare the pans by oiling them thoroughly, then fitting
them with parchment, then buttering the parchment generously. Taking pains
to oil the pans and fit the parchment will be rewarded, as the finished
batter is extremely tenacious. Don't even consider baking without parchment.
Preheat the oven to about 400 degrees.
When the
batter and syrup are combined, pour it into the pans. Since it doesn't
rise, you can fill the pans fairly full. Remember that the finished product
should be about an inch thick. Take care to distribute the batter evenly.
Place the
filled pans in the oven, close the oven, and immediately reduce the heat
to 350 degrees. This is a drying process as much as it is a baking process,
and so you may wish to check from time to time to make sure that heat in
the oven is even, none of the tops are scorching, etc. If the panfortes
appear to be getting too dark, reduce the heat to 300 degrees or even less.
The panforte is not in the least bit fragile, and so it can be moved about
in the oven with impunity. It is, however, very much alive during the baking/drying
process, and will spill, so use care. It may take two hours to bake.
The only
part of this process that requires experience is knowing when the panforte
is done. The panfortes will be very soft and flexible when they're done,
because they'll be hot. The syrup which binds the panforte is more fluid
at oven temperatures and becomes firmer as the cakes cool if the panforte
is done. When the panforte is done, typically, you will be able to touch
the top center and have your finger come away clean. If you overcook, your
panforte will be brittle, quite hard, and practically inedible. If undercooked,
it will be sticky and very difficult to handle. It is better to undercook
than to overcook, as you can always put the panfortes back in the oven
if they are found to be too soft.
When you
are sure the panfortes are cooked enough, remove them from the oven and
let them cool until you can handle them. As they approach handling temperature,
about 115 degree, the should still be somewhat limp. You can powder them
thoroughly with confectioner's sugar and then wrap them in plastic wrap.
Once cool, a second wrapping will prepare them so that they will keep at
room temperature indefinitely. Never stack them more than four panfortes
high, as they are still flexible at room temperature and will flatten.
If the
panfortes appear to be getting too dark, reduce the heat to 300 degrees
or even less. The panforte is not in the least bit fragile
recipe derived from several sources,
developed over a number of years,
and contributed by Michael Potts
and Cheryle Evans |
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Panforte Recipe
Panforte:
3 ounces (90 grams) semi-sweet chocolate,
chopped
1 cup (125 grams) toasted and coarsely
chopped hazelnuts
1 cup (120 grams) toasted and coarsely
chopped blanched almonds
1 cup candied citrus (170 grams)
(citron, lemon and/or orange peel)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa
powder
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white
sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) honey
I always thought of Christmas fruit
cake as a rich and heavy cake, full of candied fruit and nuts, that was
soaked in alcohol and then frosted with royal icing and marzipan. It was
the fruit cake of my youth, and it wasn't until years later that I realized
there are other types of Christmas cakes. Take for example, Panforte (pronounced
pan-FOHR-tay), which comes from Siena Italy and also goes by the name Siena
Cake. Although it does have some similarities to the 'British' fruit cake
(containing the traditional fruit, nuts, and spices) its texture and flavor
are very different. Bite into a slice of Panforte and you may be surprised
to find how chewy it is. This chewy texture comes from mixing the fruit,
nuts, spices, and flour (just enough to bind the ingredients), with a boiled
syrup made from sugar and honey. This sugar/honey syrup, along with the
addition of melted chocolate and cocoa powder, gives this Christmas cake
an almost candy-like texture and flavor which is hard to resist, even for
those who hate fruit cake.
Traditionally Panforte is baked in
a round pan that has been lined with communion wafers (to make it easier
to remove) which seems to indicate a religious connection. History does
tell us that Panforte dates from the 12th century and, although stories
differ, most agree that Nuns (hence the use of communion wafers) were the
first to make this delicious bread. Now, for most of us communion wafers
can be difficult to find so luckily Jane Grigson in 'The Best of Jane Grigson
- The Enjoyment of Food' offers us a great substitute; edible rice paper,
which is available at most Asian markets. Another distinctive characteristic
of this cake is the dusting of the top of the cake with confectioners'
(powdered/icing) sugar. This gives it a very festive 'snowy' look which
adds to the holiday mood. Although this cake was once made only during
the Christmas season, its popularity has now made it a year round favorite.
As far as making this recipe, its
fairly easy, the only difficult part is the making of the sugar syrup which
a good candy thermometer will take care of. Once the honey and sugar are
boiled to the soft ball stage (240 degrees F) (115 degrees C) it is poured
over the rest of the ingredients. At this point you will need to work quickly
before the mixture stiffens and becomes difficult to spread in the pan.
Traditionally this cake was made with almonds but hazelnuts as well as
macadamia nuts are excellent in this cake. And although I have used candied
lemon and orange peel again you can vary this recipe by using other candied
fruits or even dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, apricots to name a
few) especially if you want to make this cake off season when candied fruits
are difficult to find. Another thing about Panforte is that some like it
very spicy so if you prefer it that way, go ahead and add some white or
black pepper (1/2 to 1 teaspoon). Incidentally, cocoa and chocolate
were not found in the Panforte made by the Nuns. It wasn't until the 1800s
that these ingredients made their way into the recipe and today you can
find Panforte both with and without chocolate.
A final note, Panforte is like other
fruit cakes in that it stores well. So you can squirrel it away in the
cupboard and cut off a sliver any time of the year that your sweet tooth
beckons.
Panforte: Butter and line with parchment
paper an 8-inch (20 cm) tart pan. Alternatively, and for a more authentic
look, line the pan with edible rice paper (available at Asian markets).
First melt the chocolate in a stainless
steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside. Then in
a large bowl combine the nuts, candied fruit, spices, flour, and cocoa
powder.
In a saucepan, stir together the
sugar and honey. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil,
stirring until sugar has dissolved. Then clamp a candy thermometer to the
side of the saucepan. Continue to boil the mixture over medium heat, without
stirring, until the temperature reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees
F (116 degrees C).
Remove from heat and stir the sugar/honey
syrup and the melted chocolate into the chopped nut and fruit mixture.
The mixture will stiffen quickly so once combined, transfer to the prepared
pan. With damp hands, or the back of a spoon or offset spatula, evenly
spread the Panforte, smoothing the top.
Bake in a 300 degree F (150 degree
C) oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the surface has fine blisters.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. While the Panforte is still
warm, remove the sides of the pan and heavily dust the top of the cake
with confectioners' (powdered/icing) sugar. Gently rub the sugar into the
cake. (Note: if you have lined the pan with rice paper you
may find it has torn. If that is the case simply add more rice paper, using
a little egg white as glue.)
Once the cake has completely cooled,
wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place. Well wrapped
this cake will keep several months.
Serve this cake in thin slices as
it is quite rich.
Makes 1 - 8 inch (20 cm) cake.
Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/Panforte.html#ixzz0e0pQC84X
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