Panforte may now be one of the symbols of Siena, available year round, but it was originally a Christmas pastry, something extremely special to celebrate the birth of the Redeemer. Special it was (and is), a heavenly mixture of, honey, candied fruits, nuts and more. There are two kinds: Nero, which is dark and has an underlying bitter taste conferred by bitter almonds, and Margherita, which is lighter colored and sweeter.
| Panforte Nero: | Panforte Margherita: |
| 2½ ounces baking chocolate | 1¾ cups flour |
| 2/3 cup sugar | 1¾ cups confectioner's sugar |
| 1 cup less 2 tablespoons shelled almonds | ¾ cup honey |
| ½ cup honey | 1 cup less 2 tablespoons nutmeats |
| 4 shelled bitter almonds | 1¾ cup shelled almonds |
| 1¾ cups flour | 2 ounces candied citron |
| A handful of pine nuts | 8 ounces candied fruit peel (oranges and such) |
| ½ teaspoon. ground cinnamon | ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| About 4 ounces candied citron | A pinch of allspice |
| The grated rind of a lemon | 1 scant teaspoon ground coriander |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cloves | 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar |
| ¼ teaspoon ground pepper |
Once you have assembled the ingredients, the steps for making one or the other kind are pretty much the same:
Parboil the nuts and toast them lightly. If you are making panforte nero, mash half the almonds with the bitter almonds, chop the rest with the pine nuts, and then combine the two; if you are making panforte Margherita chop the nuts together. Dice the candied fruit and mix it and the spices in with the nuts, then mix in the flour.
Line a 9-inch diameter deep dish pan with the wafers.
Using a copper or heavy-bottomed pot and a very low flame, set the sugar, honey, chocolate (for panforte nero) and a touch of water to boil. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon, being careful to keep the mixture from sticking. When the syrup reaches the hard ball stage, remove the pot from the stove and stir in the fruit and nut mixture. Pour the resulting batter into the pan, smoothing the top with a dampened knife. Bake in a 300 °F oven for about a half hour. The panforte should not brown.
When the panforte's done, remove the pan from the oven and trim the excess wafers sticking up around it. If you are making panforte Margherita, sprinkle the confectioner's sugar over it. Enjoy!