Tag Archives: panforte

Italian Sweet Treats From Emporio Rulli

A fruitcake even fruitcake haters will love. A holiday specialty from Emporio Rulli.

After stuffing ourselves silly on Thanksgiving, it’s hard to fathom attacking more sweets.

But the Bay Area’s Emporio Rulli makes it so very hard to resist.

Especially when it comes to Italian specialty confections such as panforte and cialde wafer cookies, of which I just received samples of both.

I remember years ago during the winter, getting in line at a bakery in Siena, Italy, where panforte is a specialty. I had no idea why everyone was queued up, but I fell in behind everyone, hoping something wonderful awaited at the front. When my turn finally came, I bought what everyone else was buying — panforte. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I unwrapped it and took a bite. My expression fell immediately as I realized I had just spent money on a dreaded fruitcake. Not my fave, to say the least.

But Emporio Rulli’s version just might make a fruitcake believer out of you, as it did me. Unlike the one in Siena that was sticky, gooey soft, the Emporio Rulli one is extremely chewy and crunchy — more along the lines of a hard nougat. You’re hit with the unmistakable fragrance of oranges the minute you unwrap the round that’s studded completely with almonds, hazelnuts, apricots, candied orange peel and citron.

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The Taste of an Italian Specialty — In A Clif Bar

The new Clif Bar has the taste of a famous Italian confection.

Clif Bar, everyone’s favorite on-the-go, organic, energy recharger, turns 20 this year.

To celebrate that momentous anniversary, the Emeryville company has created a new, limited-edition bar: Gary’s Panforte.

Yes, it’s inspired by the the famous Italian confection of fruits and nuts. Company Founder Gary Erickson decided to create this version in honor of his early cycling adventures over Northern Italy’s Passo di Gavia.

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