How to Make Meg Rivers Panforte and Florentines
There is probably nothing more thoughtful than a homemade gift – somebody setting aside their precious time to craft something delicious. Meg Rivers Artisan Bakery have got us covered with these two mouth-watering recipes!
One of the benefits to having a day of making or baking is a change in pace. Putting the radio on and focussing on a practical task is a form of escape from the usual distractions of modern life. There's huge satisfaction in seeing through a project from start to finish and it saves battling the chaos that is the local high street at Christmas time!
If all else fails, Meg Rivers Artisan Bakery, has you covered with their cakes by post service.
Panforte
A great homemade gift is a Panforte – Italian in its origin, packed full of fruit, nuts and spices it is wonderfully festive gift and with a long shelf life it's ideal as an accompaniment to a cup of coffee when the festive visitors start to arrive. It also doubles up as a dessert in place of a Christmas pudding if you only have room for a slither of something sweet after Christmas dinner!
You will need
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How to make
Panforte
Serves ~16
· 20cm/8-inch shallow, round cake pan », greased
· 2 x 12.5cm/5-inch edible wafer paper discs
· 50g/1/3 cup whole blanched almonds
· 50g/1/3 cup whole pistachios
· 90g/2/3 cup dried figs, stalks removed, and roughly chopped
· 11/2 tablespoons sherry
· 5 tablespoons honey
· 75g caster sugar
· 75g/1/3 cup plain/all-purpose flour
· 100g/2/3 cup mixed candied peel
· 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
· a pinch of ground cloves
· icing/confectioners' sugar, to dust
Florentines
Makes ~30 biscuits
· 50g Glace cherries, washed and drained
· 50g Mixed peel, diced
· 100g Sultanas
· 200g Almonds, flaked
· 50g Plain flour
· 120g Salted Butter
· 160g Caster sugar
· 50 ml Single cream
· 200g Dark chocolate, roughly chopped
A great homemade gift is a Panforte – Italian in its origin, packed full of fruit, nuts and spices it is wonderfully festive gift and with a long shelf life it's ideal as an accompaniment to a cup of coffee when the festive visitors start to arrive. It also doubles up as a dessert in place of a Christmas pudding if you only have room for a slither of something sweet after Christmas dinner!
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking pan and press down firmly (a slightly smaller pan wrapped in clingfilm/plastic wrap is handy for this). Place the second edible wafer disc on top of the cake and leave overnight to set. Dust icing/confectioners' sugar generously over the top before serving.
Another Italian favourite are Florentines and these also make a wonderful edible gift. These colourful and chewy biscuits look great stacked into a pile and wrapped with some clear plastic or baking paper. If you're making a batch for a bigger family gathering then why not double up the quantities – and don't forget to add a batch for yourself!
Preheat oven to 170C
Line your baking sheets with baking paper. A standard baking sheet takes six Florentines.
Wash all the syrup from the glace cherries, dry with kitchen towel and dice into small pieces. Place the diced cherries in a large mixing bowl and add the mixed peel, sultanas, flaked almonds and flour.
In a pan over low heat, melt the butter and sugar together. Remove from heat and stir in the cream, then add this to the dry ingredients. Mix until evenly blended. Spoon six walnut-sized scoops of the mixture onto the baking sheet spaced well apart, gently press down the mounds with the back of the spoon. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately re-shape the biscuits into circles using the side of a knife. Transfer to a cooling tray and repeat method till all mixture is used.
Keep for 7 – 10 days in an airtight container or freeze for up to two months.
Craft with us at our workshops
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