Near Christmas time in 2018 I went to a natural store and saw this strange citrus fruit. It had multiple tendrils and a yellow body and was called Buddha’s hand. Of course, I bought it. When I went home I cut off one of the fingers to taste it, but there was no fruit inside. I cut it in half and realized the fruit is all pith. I had been contemplating what to do with a Buddha’s hand citrus fruit which I did some research and found I could candy it like citrus peel, but what next? Make panforte, a better version of holiday fruitcake which looked weird to me.
What is it?” my mom asked when I was making it. It has chocolate, pecans, almonds, pine nuts, spices, and homemade candied Buddha’s hand. It was a bit hard as I overcooked the edges, but chewy and nutty. Next time I’ll bake it for less time. While I’ve never actually eaten fruitcake, I’m pretty sure this was better.