Softening over-baked panforte

[stuartlikesstrudel]

Hi everyone,

I made a big batch of panforte yesterday to give out as Christmas gifts. It was my first time making it, so when the recipe said to cook until the edges were firm and the middle was still a bit soft, I took "firm" to mean quite firm. As a result, when they cooled there are now parts that are quite hard. The center is ok, a bit firm but acceptable, however the outer crust (on top and the edges) is harder than I'd like... edible, but i don't want people to have trouble eating them.

So last night I left a few pieces in a covered bowl with a cup of hot water, the idea being that the steam may slightly soften the hard parts (with the sugar absorbing a bit of moisture and softening).

This morning it appears to be a bit better but I'm wondering if this will cause them to mould quickly... I'm not worried if they don't last for months but I'd like to be able to give people a few weeks shelf life to eat them.

Any ideas of how I might save them? It was quite a large batch so I'd rather not have to waste it all if there's any chance of redemption!

[Snadra]

I don't know enough about panforte to try to give suggestions for correcting it, but my first thought was that you could try cutting out the centres and maybe coating the edges in chocolate or a dip in honey then chopped nuts (whichever you used in the panforte itself). That would hide any obvious indications you'd cut it. Maybe you could then use the cutoffs crumbled in something else, or as an ice cream topping, etc.

edit: missing word

Edited December 15, 2011 by Snadra (log)