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Nut: Pistachios

Pistachio Florentine Cookies

Description

Beautiful Pistachio Florentine Cookies by Chef Nancy Silverton.

Ingredients

Sweet Pastry Dough:

  • 2 ¾ cups / 330 g all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup / 100 g granulated sugar
  • 8 ounces / 226 g unsalted butter
  • 2 each / 40 g egg yolks
  • ¼ cup / 58 g heavy cream

Florentine FIlling:

  • ½ cup / 60 g pistachios, cut in half lengthwise
  • ⅓ cup / 76 g heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons / 61 g mild-flavored honey, such as clover
  • 3 tablespoons / 40 g granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 ounce / 30 g unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons / 24 g all-purpose flour

Assembly: 

  • ½ cup / 32 g dried cranberries
  • ½ cup / 60 g whole pistachios, shelled
  • 1 lemon, zested with a bar zester

Instructions

Sweet Pastry Dough

  1. Sift the flour in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar. Cut the butter into ½ inch (1 ¼ cm) pieces and toss with the flour until fully coated. Crumble the butter into the flour by rubbing it between your fingertips, lifting the pieces and letting it fall back down. Continue until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream and pour into the flour mixture. Gather the dough together with your hands until it forms into a ball. Flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least two hours.
  3. Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 330 °F (165 °C).

For the Cookies:

Divide the dough in half and return the remainder to the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 12 inches (30.0 cm) circle, about ¼ inch (6.5 mm) thick. Cut out four 5 ¼ inches (13.5 cm) circles leaving the scraps intact. Transfer the circles to a parchment lined baking sheet and prick the surface of the circles about ten times with the tines of a fork. Using a 1-inch (2.5 cm) cutter, cut out small circles from the scraps of the dough. Brush the edge of the larger circles with water and place the smaller circles, touching, around the entire edge to create a border. Chill until firm.

Florentine Filling:

  1. In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, stir together the cream, honey, and sugar. Using a small paring knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the pulp and seeds with the back of the knife.
  2. Add the scraping and the pod to the mixture. Add the butter and over medium heat bring the mixture to a boil without stirring, tilting and swirling the pan to ensure it cooks evening without coloring. Cooking for 5-6 minutes until it reaches 230 °F (110 °C). Remove from the heat and sift in the flour, whisking to combine. Remove the vanilla bean. Stir in the chopped pistachios.

Assembly:

Spoon the mixture into the center of the cookies and spread it out and fills into the border. Sprinkle dried cranberries and lemon zest on top of the sugar mixture. With the remainder of the caramel stir in the whole pistachios. Place one pistachio on the center of each small circle around the border. Using a spoon, decorate the cookies using the remaining sugar mixture by dipping it into the mixture and waving it over the cookie creating sugar threads.

Happy Seafood in a Lettuce Cup

Description

Recipe by celebrity Chef Martin Yan, who has traveled around the world, sharing the best of Chinese and American culture, food, and personal enrichment with multiple generations of audiences. His grand vision is shaped by more than 3,500 culinary and travel TV shows, 32 cookbooks, and several restaurants in North America and Asia.

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 tsp / 3.0 g cornstarch

¼ tsp / 1.5 g salt

1/8 tsp / 0.5 g white pepper

2 tsp / 9 g cooking oil

Seafood:

8 oz / 225 g medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined and diced

4 oz / 115 g raw scallops, diced

Stir-fry Mixture:

2 tbsp / 27 g cooking oil

¼ cup / 20 g green onions, diced

¼ cup / 35 g water chestnuts, diced

¼ cup / 30 g carrot, diced

¼ cup / 60 ml broth, seafood, chicken or vegetarian

1 tbsp / 18 g oyster-flavored sauce

1 tsp / 5 g sesame seed oil

1 tsp / 3 g cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp / 10 g water

1/2 cup / 65 g pistachios, roasted

Assembly:

2 – 3 tbsp / 32 – 48 g Hoisin sauce

Lettuce (iceberg, butter or romaine), cut into 12 lettuce cups

DIRECTIONS

  1. Marinade: In a medium bowl, combine ingredients.
  2. Seafood: Add shrimp and scallops to marinade; stir to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  3. Stir-fry Mixture: Heat a wok or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides.  Add seafood; toss and stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Remove seafood from wok.  Add green onions, water chestnuts and carrot; stir-fry until carrot is crisp tender.  Return seafood.  Add broth, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Add cornstarch solution; cook, stirring, until slightly thickened.  Add pistachios; toss well. 
  4. Assembly: To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce in center of a lettuce cup. Add about 2- 3 tablespoons of stir-fry mixture in each lettuce cup and serve.

PISTACHIO BERRY GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup Roasted, salted pistachios, chopped
  • 6 ounces Goat cheese
  • ½ cup Sliced strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons Honey
  • 3 tablespoons Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 8 ounces Prewashed baby lettuce salad greens or spring mix
  • 1 pint Raspberries
  • 1 cup Blueberries

Instructions

  1. Place the chopped pistachios on a plate. Divide the goat cheese into 16 equal pieces (about 1 teaspoon each) and roll into balls. Roll the cheese balls in the pistachios. Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  2. Put the strawberries in a blender with the vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, olive oil and a pinch of both salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more honey, salt and/or pepper if desired. Can be made a day ahead. Store in a small jar or covered container and give a good shake before using.
  3. Put the salad greens in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Add the raspberries and blueberries and gently toss. Divide the salad among 6 salad plates and top each with 4 pistachio goat cheese balls.

BBQ POTATOES WITH CANDIED SPICED PISTACHIOS, PISTACHIO CREMA & WATERCRESS

Ingredients

  • 2 Large sweet potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons Vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons BBQ spice or rub
  • ¼ pound Butter, melted
  • Salt, to taste

FOR THE PISTACHIO CREMA

  • ¼ cup Mexican Crema or creme fraiche
  • 3 tablespoons Pistachio, toasted and ground
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat sweet potatoes with vegetable oil. Rub sweet potatoes with half of the BBQ spice. Bake in oven until the sweet potatoes are cooked about ¾ of the way through. There should be slight resistance if you push a small knife or skewer into the center of the potatoes. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into wedges. Usually I cut them in half and then cut each half into thirds yielding six pieces total. Baste the sweet potato wedges with melted butter and liberally season with salt and the remaining BBQ spice. Grill over hot coals until the potatoes are golden brown and cooked all the way through.
  2. Serve hot. Garnish with spiced pistachios, drizzle of pistachio crema and watercress sprigs.

PISTACHIO TART WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST:

  • 6 ounces (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Salt, pinch
  • 1¾ cups plus 1 tablespoons flour

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 1⅓ cups unsalted pistachio kernels
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 6 ounces (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

FOR THE CRUST

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine all ingredients and mix with paddle attachment until fully incorporated. Remove from bowl and press evenly into a fluted 9-inch tart pan that has been sprayed with pan spray. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, line bottom of tart pan with a circle of parchment paper, cut to size. Fill with dry beans, enough to cover the parchment paper. Par-bake the shell until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool completely. Once cool, discard the beans (or store for later use).

FOR THE FILLING

  1. Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until very coarsely chopped (some of the pistachio will be mealy and the remainder will be coarse). Turn pistachios into a mixing bowl, add all other ingredients and combine with a spatula until fully incorporated.
  2. Fill the par-baked tart shell with the pistachio filling, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake for 30-40 minutes, until filling is golden brown and set. Test for doneness by inserting a clean knife or toothpick in the center—it should come out clean and the tart should not jiggle. If the crust begins to brown before the pie filling is set, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake until done.
  3. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Note: Baking time may vary depending on oven and altitude.

PISTACHIO MINT CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

Description

Recipe by Carol Kicinski.

Ingredients

  • 2 Racks of lamb, 8 bone each, trimmed and frenched
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons Olive oil, use divided
  • ½ cup Shelled, roasted, salted pistachios
  • 3 cups Mint leaves, loosely packed
  • 3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Heat an oven proof skillet large enough to hold both racks of lamb until hot over medium-high heat. If you do not have a skillet large enough for both racks then place a roasting pan in the oven to heat up as the oven does.
  2. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat one tablespoon of oil in the pan and sear the lamb on all sides for about 2 minutes per side. Let the lamb cool a little.
  3. Put the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to grind them. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the mint, garlic, zest and juice of lemon. Process until it turns into a paste. Spread the paste on the meat-side of the lamb racks pressing down firmly. Place the lamb racks back into the skillet (or roasting pan) bone-side down. Roast for 20 minutes for medium rare, 25 minutes for medium. Cover the lamb with foil and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting the lamb into chops, use a sharp, thin knife to carve.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH PISTACHIO & BASIL PESTO

Description

Recipe by Chef Ethan Stowell.

Ingredients

FOR PISTACHIO AND BASIL PESTO:

  • 2 cups Fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
  • 1 cup Pistachios, shelled, toasted
  • 4 Garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Salt and pepper

FOR POTATO GNOCCHI:

  • 2 pounds Russet potatoes, washed
  • 4 Large egg yolks
  • 2 cups Unbleached flour
  • 2 tablespoons Salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

FOR PISTACHIO AND BASIL PESTO:

  1. Place basil, pistachios and garlic cloves in a food processor; pulse until a rough puree.
  2. Add extra virgin olive oil and continue to pulse until oil, basil and pistachios have all combined into a smooth puree.  Transfer sauce to a large work bowl; fold in cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

FOR POTATO GNOCCHI:

  1. Brush each potato lightly with extra virgin olive oil.
  2. Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and bake in oven until tender, for about one hour.
  3. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and pass them through a food mill or potato ricer which yields about 3 cups of sieved potatoes.  On a clean work surface, mound sieved potatoes with a well in the middle.  In the well place egg yolks, 2 cups of flour and salt.
  4. Mix all the ingredients together and make sure to dust work surface with additional flour as needed to avoid sticking.
  5. Once potato dough has come together, knead until smooth and even, with no visible bits of egg or flour. Keeping work surface and dough lightly floured, cut dough into 4 even pieces.
  6. With hands, roll each piece into a rope until diameter is about ½ inch thick.
  7. With a knife, cut down the rope to form ½ inch by ½ inch squares.
  8. Dust gnocchi with flour and continue until all dough has been formed into gnocchi.
  9. Discard any irregular shaped gnocchi, as it will not cook evenly.
  10. Place gnocchi on a lightly floured sheet pan until ready to cook and serve.
  11. Bring a large pot of water to a soft boil.  Drop gnocchi into the water, work in batches if necessary, and cook until all gnocchi float to the surface of the water, about 1-2 minutes.
  12. Remove gnocchi from water and place in a large mixing bowl.  Toss with pistachio and basil pesto sauce to taste, season with salt and pepper and serve while hot with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side.


 

GREEN MONSTER SMOOTHIE

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Spinach
  • 6 Sprigs parsley
  • ½ English cucumber
  • ½ cup Honeydew melon
  • 1 tablespoon Honey
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ⅔ cup Ice water
  • ½ cup Salted American pistachio kernels

Instructions

  1. Blend until smooth.

PISTACHIO POBLANO CHILE MOLE WITH TORTILLAS

Description

Recipe by Ben Berryhill.

Ingredients

  • 1 Onion, peeled and rough chop
  • 2 Thick Corn Tortilla, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 4 Tomato, remove stems and seeds
  • 5 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bunch Cilantro, remove stems
  • 3 cups Chicken Stock or Broth
  • ½ cup Whole Roasted Pistachios, ground
  • 3 Roasted Poblano Chile, peeled and seeded
  • Salt, to taste
  • ¼ cup Crema Fresca or mexican creama
  • 1 ounce Cotija Cheese, peeled or grated

Instructions

  1. In a two quart sauce pot, sauté onions and tortilla pieces until they are lightly browned. Add tomato, garlic, and cilantro and sauté until wilted and fragrant. Add stock or broth and ground pistachios and simmer and stir for 20 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and allow to cool long enough to work with.
  3. In a blender combine sauce and cleaned poblanos. Puree until smooth and season with salt to taste.
  4. Heat and serve in a warm ceramic bowl. Garnish with crema and cotija cheese. Serve with warm thick corn tortillas.

Pistachio-Dusted Roast Salmon with a Light Honey Glaze

DESCRIPTION

A fresh Atlantic salmon is gently drizzled with olive oil, lightly coated with a sweet honey and topped with finely crushed pistachios. Recipe by Chef Jesse Brune.

INGREDIENTS

  • 10 ounces of fresh Atlantic salmon (a little more than half a pound)*
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, finely crushed and chopped
  • Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Cut salmon in half to make two 5-ounce pieces. If salmon has skin still attached, leave it on to lock in extra moisture.
  3. Gently drizzle olive oil on salmon, leaving an extremely light coat.
  4. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
  5. Pour honey over salmon halves and gently rub honey into meat using the back of a spoon.
  6. Spread chopped pistachios over flat surface of plate and place glazed portion of the fish onto the pistachios, generously covering surface.
  7. Place pistachio-covered salmon into an oven-safe dish or on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Place in heated oven for 10 minutes or until done (shouldn’t take more than 12 minutes max).
  8. To make sure the salmon is done, gently press surface of fish with a fork. There should be a firm bounce.

*To save time, buy the salmon scaled and deboned.