Prune Panforte

WILLIAMS-SONOMA "desserts: new healthy kitchen: colorful recipes for health & well-being" (Page 113)

“Brown: This down – to – earth chapter of the healthy-eating rainbow is devoted not to fruits or vegetables, but to a distinctive group of healthful foods that come from plants: grains and seeds. Nuts are a type of seed that lend themselves well to sweet preparations. Two particular seeds – the coffee bean and the cocoa bean – are unique in their antioxidant benefits and widespread appeal, bordering on obsession.” – Williams-Sonoma ‘desserts’,

            A trip to the Williams-Sonoma kitchen boutique has always delighted me (although it fails to impress my budget). The rows of needless equipment are like the purest form of gluttony for any chef. Although I cannot justify spending $75.00CAD on a gingerbread – imprinted cookie tray, I will never turn down the fantasy that I might need what they are selling.
            When browsing for the first book in my set of reviews, the bright blue cover – alongside the Williams-Sonoma name, caught my eye. I flipped through to find sections divided by color. The reds of raspberries, orange of peaches, and brown of the cocoa bean filled the pages. Okay, so I was easily sold and completely judged a book by its cover. But I had to ask myself: would these pages be filled with the same needless equipment?
            ‘Prune Panforte’ seemed like the perfect place to start. A somewhat challenging recipe, that is relatively simple to bring together, and difficult to ruin (after tempering the sugar of course). Make sure that you have a candy thermometer before you begin this recipe. You can gauge the temperature of honey by looking at it, but it can burn quickly, and will cause even more damage to your greatest sampling tool – your finger.

            I started by preheating the oven to 300ºF, greasing a cake pan, and cutting some parchment paper to the proper size. This step is tedious but crucial and does not demand a copious amount of perfection.

            The recipe starts with toasting 1-cup hazelnuts and 1-cup almonds. Volunteering to bring dessert at any event is key. Your dish doesn’t have to be warm, and although it can be difficult to transport, your contribution may get the most compliments. Toasting the nuts, as instructed, filled my kitchen with a multitude of smells. I’m thinking that this recipe is easier than I imagined.
Pitted honey dates replaced the as-called-for-figs. They are sweeter and less likely to drain your budget. A quick chop to break-up 2 cups of pitted honey dates, and we were ready to start mixing.

            Stirring the toasted nuts, chopped dates, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, allspice, freshly grated nutmeg, and ground ginger together will give you a mixture that resembles Christmas Loaf. It was a tradition to stir the batter at Christmas and make a wish in my family, so it won’t hurt to get nostalgic at this point.

            Heat the honey and sugar over medium-high heat to bring it to 234ºF using your candy thermometer. For those of you tempering this concoction with your eyes, it will look something like this:

            Note: when the honey and sugar is fully up to temperature, it will form a soft ball when dropped into very cold water.
            Remove this mixture from the heat and work quickly. As though you were taking your time and suddenly realized that you have left your car unlocked a few blocks away. Mix in semisweet chocolate and stir into the nut mixture with a wooden spoon.

            Press into your parchment lined cake pan and bake for 35 minutes. Cool on a ware rack and garnish with powdered sugar.

            In summary, this recipe is perfect for the baker who doesn’t want to fiddle with tedious dishes – like crème brulee. It caters to guests who suffer from lactose-intolerance and tops vanilla iced cream like a thick brownie with substance.
            Williams Sonoma wrote an easy-to-follow method and included easily accessed ingredients. With colorful, comprehensive pictures, I am excited to try a few more recipes.

*This book can be found and purchased at: This book can be found and purchased at: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/0743278607

*Tasting Notes: This dish was very difficult to cut and even more difficult to eat. It was dense and should be served in very small slices with iced-cream (or something light to that effect). This sat heavily in your stomach, and should not be served in addition to a heavy meal.

Written By and Photo Credit: Jane Phillips