TORRONE

Ingredients :
400 gm whole almonds, blanched and peeled
55 gm pistachios, shelled
450 gm minus 1 tbsp sugar
1 egg white
60 ml wildflower/mountain honey (if unavailable, normal honey may be used)
A pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
250 gm icing sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Crunchy praline bits for topping (if unavailable, use roasted, chopped almonds)

Method
Line a baking tray with 1 sheet of butter paper and keep aside. Pre-heat oven to 110 deg.Cel. Place almonds and pistachios on another baking sheet, and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes or till golden brown.
Heat 450 gm sugar and 2 tbsp of water in small pan and bring to 135 deg. Cel , or until mixture becomes brown, like caramel.
Meanwhile, place egg white and honey in a steel bowl, over a double boiler and whisk till creamy. Combine creamy mix with melted sugar, a pinch of salt and whisk for 1 minute. Add toasted nuts, raise heat and stir with ladle until mix becomes compact. Remove from heat, add vanilla, orange zest and transfer torrone onto butter paper to cool.
Once cooled, serve in a bowl sprinkled with pralines, or roasted almonds and dust with icing sugar.

Serves 4. Preparation Time : 30 minutes

PANFORTE

Ingredients :
250 gm almonds, blanched and toasted
150 gm walnuts or pecan nuts
55 gm candied orange rind, cut into small strips
250 gm prunes, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp cinnamon, grounded
2 tbsp coriander, ground
½ tbsp nutmeg, freshly grated
200 gm plain flour
200 gm icing sugar
200 ml honey
2 tbsp vanilla sugar

Method
Pre-heat oven to 150 deg.cel.
Mix nuts, prunes and spices together in bowl. Add flour and mix well. Bring sugar and honey to a boil in 2 litre heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, then boil without stirring until thick for 2 minutes on high heat.
Pour honey over fruit mixture and combine. Line the bottom and sides of 8 inch diameter pan with butter paper. Butter the paper well and dust with cocoa powder, knocking out excess. Spoon mixture into pan, and spread evenly with back of spoon and then with damp hands, press mixture firmly to make it compact. Bake for 35 minutes in the middle of the oven, or until edges start to rise slightly.
Cool and invert, peeling off paper. Dust with vanilla sugar. Cut into small pieces and serve.

Serves 6. Preparation Time : 60 minutes
RECIPES BY CHEF BIJENDER RAWAT
SOURCED FROM SAVVY COOKBOOK JAN 2007