Panforte Margherita Recipe

Regarding the Panforte Margherita recipe, rivers of ink could arise. Consumed above all at Christmas time, that irresistible mixture of almonds, honey, and spices represents a real delight for Italians and those lucky enough to taste it. Almost certainly, it is the best known and the oldest of the spiced bread and concerning its origin, to be placed in the late Middle Ages, it is said that the first panforte was produced by Berta, a nun who prepared a flatbread by mixing honey, flour and candied fruits, along with a wide variety of spices including ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Since the Middle Ages, the recipe of the Panforte has not undergone great changes, and among the most known and most appreciated variants, we remember the white one and the chocolate one. The first one, with icing sugar, was prepared for the first time in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy in the visit of Siena in 1879 for the Palio, and from there, the dessert is also called Panforte Margherita.

 

Panforte Margherita di Siena Recipe

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Difficulty level: medium

 

Ingredients:

150 gr honey

150 gr icing sugar

3 egg whites

250 gr chopped almonds

200 gr candied citrus

150 gr kernels of chopped walnuts

100 gr chopped hazelnuts

100 gr candied orange peel

100 gr candied cherries

100 gr dried figs

50 gr of candied ginger

8 g ground cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon pepper ground fresh

1 tablespoon of flour

Christmas wafer

Icing sugar to taste

 

Preparation:

Put in a bowl finely chopped almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, citrus, orange peel, cherries, dried figs, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg whites, pepper, and mix well.

Put the sugar and honey in a saucepan. Let thicken over low heat, stirring constantly.

When the mixture has taken the right consistency, turn off and add nuts, candied fruit, and spices to the mixture.

Line the pan or cake pan with parchment paper, and cover the bottom and sides with the Christmas wafer. Pour the Panforte mixture creating a layer of about 1-1.5 cm. Distribute on the surface the sifted flour on and level well.

Place the Panforte in the preheated oven at 150 ° C for about 30 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool. When serving, sprinkle the surface with icing sugar or bitter cocoa powder.

The most interesting combination is with blue cheese: it will surprise you!

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