Italian Cheese Trio With Panforte

Panforte is an Italian sweet served in thin wedges. As an accompaniment to a platter of assorted Italian cheeses it can only be improved by the addition of a glass of sweet wine. Taken from Janet Fletcher's The Cheese Course, one of my favorites. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 1  cup hazelnuts
• 1  cup  unskinned  almonds
• 2⁄3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa
• 2  teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1  orange, zest of, grated
• 8  ounces dried figs, thinly sliced
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 2⁄3 cup honey
• 1 1⁄2 lbs gorgonzola, dolce (assorted Italian cheeses) or 1 1⁄2 lbs parmigiano-reggiano cheese (assorted Italian cheeses) or 1 1⁄2 lbs taleggio (assorted Italian cheeses)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Toast the hazelnuts and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant and lightly colored inside, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then chop coarsely. Reduce oven temp to 300°.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-in tart pan with a removable bottom.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, fennel seed, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest. Add the nuts and figs and stir to coat.
4. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and honey over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to medium and cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 245° on a candy thermometer, 2-3 minutes. Immediately pour over the nut mixture. Working quickly, stir until the dry ingredients are coated; the mixture will be stiff. Transfer to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a wooden spoon dipped in cold water. Bake for 40 minutes. The mixture will still be tacky to the touch. Cool the panforte completely on a rack, then remove from the pan. Slice into 16 thin wedges. Pass the cheeses and panforte separately.