thisweekLogin

A period dish

Panforte

A dense, spiced cake of nuts, dried fruit, and honey from Siena.

Serves 12

Panforte was the specialty of Siena, a chewy confection of nuts, candied fruit, honey, and spice pressed into a round and dusted with sugar. It was made for Christmas and kept for weeks.

Ingredients

Pantry / Durable

  • 2 cup almonds
  • 1 cup hazelnuts
  • 1 cup candied peel
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour

Spices & Seasoning

  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Method

  1. Toast almonds and hazelnuts and chop them with candied citrus peel.

  2. Warm honey and sugar with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little pepper until dissolved.

  3. Stir in the nuts, peel, and enough flour to bind.

  4. Press the mixture into a buttered round tin lined with rice paper.

  5. Bake gently until set, then cool and dust heavily with powdered sugar.

View a published recipe at Epicurious (opens in a new tab)

Served at

After the Pazzi conspiracy · Florence, Italy

A study in exile · Florence, Italy