'Panforte' Pies

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

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 30 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 12

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  294

• Protein

  6g

• Carbs

  28g

• Fat

  18g

• Saturates

  7g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  16g

• Salt

  0.2g

Ingredients

• 140g mixed shelled and blanched nuts 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 figs, 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

Directions

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.)
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.
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.

Categories: All Christmas