Ostie (Wafers) for Panforte: Recipes, Substitutions?

[Mjx]

After candying some quince, I decided the best fate for it is panforte, then realized that there is no way I'm going to be able get the ostie (thin, flat wafers made of I'm-not-sure-what) that cover it.

My first thought was 'Make them!', then I wondered whether the rice wraps used for spring rolls could be used (thin as the discs are, the seem a bit thicker than what I have in mind, and the starch looks more gelatinized than it is in ostie).

Have any of you either successfully used rice wrappers, or made ostie?

I could get them online, but then I'd have masses of them, and I'd rather not have to store anything I won't be using relatively quickly, since storage is at a premium (we're in a very temporary space).

[Franci]

In the States I could get them from German stores and I know that are used also for norwegian sweets. Are you still in Denmark?

In German they are called Oblaten, don't know in Danish. I heard about substituting with rice paper but doesn't feel right to me.

Or if you have a church closeby...you could ask where they get their ostie...

[stuartlikesstrudel]

The panforte I've had in Australia often uses rice paper as the base. But it's not the kind used for spring rolls (or rice paper rolls), it's a thin, dry-but-somewhat-flexible sheet that is also used for nougat. It's very thin and doesn't really intrude on the taste or texture, I think.

Perhaps this is what you're referring to when you talk about ostie, i'm not sure, but it would be a good option and they're not expensive (a packet of rice paper is about $2 at an asian grocers here).

Edited February 14, 2012 by stuartlikesstrudel (log)

[Mjx]

In the States I could get them from German stores and I know that are used also for norwegian sweets. Are you still in Denmark?

In German they are called Oblaten, don't know in Danish. I heard about substituting with rice paper but doesn't feel right to me.

Or if you have a church closeby...you could ask where they get their ostie...

Interesting, I didn't know that they were used in Norwegian sweets, too. I could go round to the Catholic church (yes, I'm still in Denmark, and there aren't so many Catholic churches here), but I feel a bit shy about doing that. I agree, the rice paper doesn't seem like it would quite work out. Maybe I could find shop that stocks Norwegian ingredients, in Copenhagen.

The panforte I've had in Australia often uses rice paper as the base. But it's not the kind used for spring rolls (or rice paper rolls), it's a thin, dry-but-somewhat-flexible sheet that is also used for nougat. It's very thin and doesn't really intrude on the taste or texture, I think.

Perhaps this is what you're referring to when you talk about ostie, i'm not sure, but it would be a good option and they're not expensive (a packet of rice paper is about $2 at an asian grocers here).

I need to check the Asian shops; I haven't seen the sort of rice paper you describe, just what's used for spring rolls, and that just doesn't seem to fit the bill.

[pep.]

Just order them from Amazon.de.

Edit: Sorry, I just saw that you don't want to order online. However, shipping to Denmark only costs EUR 6.50 and small packets of Oblaten are available for under EUR 1.00, so for under EUR 10.00 you could order a small amount for your needs. The shipping cost is outrageous for such a small amount of wafers, but I doubt that fiddling with substitutions is worth it in this case.

Edited February 14, 2012 by pep. (log)

[Mjx]

Just order them from Amazon.de.

Thanks, but as I said, I don't want to get a whole bale-ful of them, just a few (which I was able to do in Italy), since I use them fairly seldom (and I hate waste, so throwing the excess out isn't an option). If all else fails though, I guess I'll have to see whether can club together with a few other Italians I know in DK, and go that route.

[pep.]

Just order them from Amazon.de.

Thanks, but as I said, I don't want to get a whole bale-ful of them, just a few (which I was able to do in Italy), since I use them fairly seldom (and I hate waste, so throwing the excess out isn't an option). If all else fails though, I guess I'll have to see whether can club together with a few other Italians I know in DK, and go that route.

Yes, I just re-read your original post and amended mine: Shipping to Denmark is cheap and there are smaller packages available for a few cents. Shipping costs would be ten times the product cost, but not much money.

[Mjx]

. . . . Shipping to Denmark is cheap and there are smaller packages available for a few cents. Shipping costs would be ten times the product cost, but not much money.

Eeeh, you may have a point, and this may be my only option, although I haven't entirely given up on finding another source/option.