Panforte Pies Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toast the nuts on a small baking tray for 5-8 mins until golden. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and stamp 12 circles with a 7.5cm plain round cutter. Use to line the wells of a 12-hole bun tin. Chill until step 3. (You will only use around half of the pastry.)
• Turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Melt the butter, sugar, syrup and chocolate together in a small pan, then beat in the egg, orange zest, figs and cinnamon. Stir in the toasted nuts.
• Spoon the nutty mixture into the pastry cases and bake for 18-20 mins until the pastry is pale golden. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then remove to a rack until just warm. Whip the cream with the sugar and booze, then dust the pies with a little icing sugar and finish with a dollop of cream and a scattering of orange zest just before eating. Good with strong coffee or mint tea.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Grease and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with edible rice paper or baking parchment. Tip the nuts, candied peel and dried fruit into a bowl. Sift over the flour and spices, and mix together.
• Heat the honey, sugar and wine in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Bubble for 3-4 mins until the sugar has melted. Pour the hot liquid over the fruit and nuts, then mix. Scrape the mixture into the tin and use the back of a wet metal spoon to flatten it. Bake for 35-40 mins until the surface is still soft but not sticky - it will firm up as it cools.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove using a palette knife to release any sticky edges. If using baking parchment, peel it off and discard it; the edible rice paper can be left on. Cool completely on a wire rack, then dust generously with icing sugar, rubbing the sugar gently into the surface. Cut into wedges to serve. Will keep wrapped in baking parchment in an airtight tin for one month.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven. Generously spray a 9-by-2-inch heavy-bottomed, nonstick round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper circle, spray parchment paper circle with cooking spray. Coat bottom and sides of pan with flour, tapping out excess.
• Using a sharp knife, roughly chop almonds and hazelnuts and place in a large, wide bowl, along with orange peel, apricots, and figs; toss to combine.
• In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper. Add to bowl of nuts and fruit and toss until well combined.
• Place sugar, honey, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture until it reaches 217 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat and quickly pour sugar mixture into nut mixture. Using a heatproof spatula, stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to prepared cake pan, smoothing surface with a spatula.
• Transfer cake pan to oven and bake until entire surface is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool completely. Wrap well with parchment paper, and then again with plastic wrap. Store in a cool, dry place up to 3 weeks.
• To serve, dust the panforte with confectioners' sugar and cut into thin wedges with a sharp knife.

Steps:

• THERE IS NO FAT. THIS IS NOT A MISTAKE.
• Turn oven on to 350 and toast hazelnuts until golden - about 15 minutes. Return oven to 300 after toasting.
• Line a pie plate with parchment paper so that the paper comes up the sides too. This is crucial. Maybe wax paper will work. PAM both the plate before the paper and then the paper. This is a major sticker.
• Drain orange peel if you have soaked it in brandy. Combine well all ingredients except honey and sugar. Stir. Stir. Stir.
• Heat honey and sugar until soft ball stage, 240 degrees F. Careful. It gets there real fast so watch for scorching.
• Turn out to a large bowl and add the dry ingredients. Combine. You have a dense mass difficult to combine which is why you need a large bowl.
• Place in lined pie plate and spread - shouldn't be more than 3/4 inches high. Wet your hands to spread and smooth it out. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and then turn it out to an oiled plate and remove paper. When cool, cut into small squares. I then shake the totally cooled pieces in a bag with powdered sugar (to which cinnamon can be added). Cocoa powder is good, also, for shaking inches Store in air tight container. Keeps forever. Note: This is not a "dessert" but more adult candy. Good for snacking with a glass of wine or brandy. Stuff keeps for weeks in an air-tight container which is why the Italian Crusaders brought it to their wars in the Middle East.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Line springform pan with parchment, using a round for bottom and a strip for side. Butter paper well and dust with cocoa powder, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together flour, spices, salt, and 4 teaspoons cocoa in a large bowl, then stir in nuts and fruit.
• Bring sugar and honey to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil without stirring until thermometer registers 238 to 240°F, about 2 minutes.
• Immediately pour honey over fruit mixture and quickly stir until combined (mixture will be very thick and sticky). Quickly spoon mixture into springform pan, spreading evenly with back of spoon. Dampen your hands and press mixture firmly and evenly into pan to compact as much as possible. Bake in middle of oven until edges start to rise slightly and become matte, 50 to 55 minutes.
• Cool panforte completely in pan on a rack, then remove side of pan and invert, peeling off paper. If making ahead, wrap panforte (see cooks' note, below). To serve, cut with a serrated knife into small pieces.