Name: 'Panforte' pies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 12
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 140g mixed shelled and blanched nut such as pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews; 375g pack ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry; plain flour for dusting; 50g butter; 50g dark brown muscovado sugar; 3 tbsp dark maple syrup; 50g good-quality chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped; 1 egg beaten; zest ½ orange; 50g soft dried fig chopped to a paste in a food processor; ½ tsp cinnamon; 150ml whipping cream; 1 tbsp icing sugar plus extra to dust; 1 tbsp Cointreau or other Christmassy booze; zest ½ orange

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'Panforte' pies

'Panforte' pies

Jane Hornby

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Makes 12

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 30 mins

plus chilling

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.3 ratingsRate

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The traditional Italian dessert is turned into a pretty hand-held nutty pie with chocolate and figs, plus an orange liqueur cream topping

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

140g mixed shelled and blanched nut

such as pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews
375g pack ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry
plain flour

for dusting
50g butter
50g dark brown muscovado sugar
3 tbsp dark maple syrup
50g good-quality chocolate

(70% cocoa), chopped
1 egg

beaten
zest ½ orange
50g soft dried fig

chopped to a paste in a food processor
½ tsp cinnamon

To serve

150ml whipping cream
1 tbsp icing sugar

plus extra to dust
1 tbsp Cointreau

or other Christmassy booze
zest ½ orange

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal294
fat18g
saturates7g
carbs28g
sugars16g
fibre2g
protein6g
salt0.2g

Method

step 1

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.)
step 2

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.
step 3

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.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2013

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A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.3 ratings

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