Ah, panforte

You are so so good.

It appears I have a new tradition of making something tasty on Christmas day in between lunch and dinner... a time when everyone else in the house is napping.

Last week, Meg shared a wonderful recipe for panforte perfected by her mother. (Beautifully photographed too!) You know how your taste preferences change as you age? I am disinclined towards cakes, frosting, cookies and such of late, but this mix of fruits and nuts is just right.

Oh, it is a workout to stir the sweet liquid into all that fruit/nut/flour mixture. And just as she suggested, I abandoned the spoon in favor of incorporating it by hand as best I could. Then you cram it into your 9" springform and think, "Really, I'm using all this force on something that I want to eventually eat?" Yes. Yes you are, and you will love it. Press harder!

Then you slice off a sliver, a beautiful cross-section of fig and almond and hazelnut. And the spice combination, there's cardamom and cinnamon, black pepper and cocoa. It was perfect last night with red wine and perfect this morning with coffee.

To be sure, most all of the powdered sugar falls off before it reaches your mouth. Watch out! Your chin, your clothes, or couch or table will surely get a dusting.

And I don't think you'll mind one bit.