Italian Christmas Cake (Panforte di Siena)

For several years now, I’ve made a traditional Italian Christmas cake called “panforte di Siena” for Christmas. It is an extremely rich, chewy cake loaded with dried fruits, toasted nuts, chocolate, and honey. I’ve experimented with a few variations—some have worked, some have not, but either way, baking this cake has been on my December “to do” list ever since 2007 when I discovered the recipe in “World Food: Italy” by Linda Doeser.

This year, I enhanced it with kahlua, chipotle pepper, and chia seeds, a “superfood” packed with fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. This cake is extremely rich, so one cake will easily serve 16 people, as portions are best kept small.

Slices of this are lovely when served with a light, tannic red wine!


Italian Christmas Cake (Panforte di Siena)

Cake "batter"

Dry ingredients:
2/3 c. toasted hazelnuts, chopped
2/3 c. toasted almonds, chopped
2 T. toasted pine nuts, chopped
2 T. chia seeds
2/3 c. candied citrus peel, minced
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. dried pineapple rings, minced
Grated rind of 1 orange
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground chipotle pepper
¼ t. ground coriander
¼ t. ground cloves
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 c. almond flour
¼ c. all-purpose flour

Wet ingredients:
½ c. sugar
½ c. chestnut honey
1 T. butter
1 T. Kahlua
1 t. rose water (optional)

To prepare, line an 8-inch cake pan with removable sides with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 300. In the meantime, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Combine the sugar, chestnut honey, butter, Kahlua, and rose water (if using) in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil, cooking for about 5 minutes (the mixture should foam a bit). Stir in the dry ingredients and remove from heat.

Using a wooden spoon, continue to stir the mixture off of the heat source, then spoon the mixture into the parchment-lined cake pan. The mixture will be thick and sticky, so flatten it out with the back of the wooden spoon (dampen the spoon with warm water if the mixture sticks too much). Place in the oven and bake for one hour. When baking is complete, remove the pan from the oven, place the pan on a heatproof surface, and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Once the cake has cooled, invert the cake on a serving platter or plate, remove the parchment paper, and slice into thin wedges to serve.

* Nutritional info: you don’t want to know…

Removing parchment paper

Italian Christmas Cake with a slice removed

Slice of Italian Christmas Cake

Chicken with French Herbs and Almonds - An Accidental Recipe

Like Sir Alexander Fleming with his magical mold, I made an accidental discovery.  I wasn't trying to create a new recipe, I was trying to make chicken piccata.  As fate would have it, my perfect storm of brain farts resulted in me having to improvise on the fly and create an entirely new recipe in the short time it takes to cook chicken cutlets. 

So how did I manage to screw up chicken piccata?  1)  I forgot to buy lemons or lemon juice, and I only had about 1/4 cup left in my trusty bottle, and 2) I forgot to dredge the cutlets in seasoned flour.  I completely forgot an entire step.  I didn't realize I'd forgotten this step until the cutlets were in the pan browning.  "Oops!" I shouted.  Ok, maybe I shouted a synonym for "oops" that begins with F.  Doesn't really matter; I just knew I had to do something to salvage the chicken.  I had about 3 minutes to either re-work this recipe and knock it out of the park, or I'd ruin it and have to pack my knives and go.  Go where?  To grubhub.com, to the pub down the street, to the cabinet containing a 6-pack of Top Ramen...

Sure, I probably don't need to treat every recipe I make like a do-or-die moment, especially considering that 4 out of 5 times I'm cooking for one, but I love a good challenge.  I refused to resign myself to cooking something not worthy of sharing with my readers.  So how did I save the chicken?  A splash of vino, a healthy injection of butter, some seasonings (including lavender flowers and green peppercorns), the final added touch of a few toasted almonds, and voila!  A brand new original recipe. 

The light, delicate flavors of this dish make it perfect for a romantic dinner for two on one of the first warm days of spring - those days will be here before you know it!   

Chicken with French Herbs and Almonds

For the marinade:
1/2 cup dry white wine
splash lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 lbs. chicken breast tenders, pounded thin with the textured side of a meat mallet
splash olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T. butter
1 T. capers in brine, drained and rinsed
2 t. green peppercorns, crushed with the flat edge of a knife
2 t. dried lavender flowers*
2 t. dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

cooked spaghetti or angel-hair pasta
chopped toasted almonds, for garnish
tarragon sprigs, for garnish
fresh sprigs lavender, for garnish

Combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in one layer.  Let marinate for about a half hour. 

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and discard leftover marinade.  Heat a splash of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan with a lid over medium heat.  Add the chicken pieces, cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until the chicken pieces are no longer pink on the outside.  Remove the chicken and set aside. 

Add all remaining ingredients except the pasta and garnishes to the pan.  Heat through until the butter melts, stirring contstantly.  Once the butter is melted, add the chicken pieces again, cover with a lid, and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. 

Arrange 2-3 of the chicken pieces over a bed of pasta.  Spoon some of the sauce overtop of the pieces, then sprinkle with chopped toasted almonds and garnish with tarragon and lavender sprigs.  Serve with a delicate white wine. 


* Be sure to use lavender flowers that are designed for tea, preferably organic.  Lavender used for potpourri can be treated with chemicals not fit for consumption.