Making your own pistachio paste: A gourmet guide at home
Pistachio paste is a unique ingredient in many delicious desserts. A small jar in the shop can really strain your budget, especially if you're considering products with high-quality ingredients. At home, you can prepare a much larger amount of green cream for a lower price. You only need an oven, a blender, and a few simple ingredients.
It's worth making pistachio cream not only because of the popularity of Dubai sweets. These nuts are a treasure trove of nutrients. They contain protein, which is needed for building cells; fibre, which is very important for digestion; unsaturated fatty acids, which reduce the level of bad cholesterol; B vitamins, which support the nervous system; and vitamin E, which slows down the ageing process. Including them in your diet leads to better mental performance and nicer-looking skin. Additionally, they help in cancer prevention.
Preparing pistachios for paste
To make pistachio cream or butter, you will need unsalted pistachios. They are most often available whole in shops. However, before you start blending them into a paste, you must peel them – not only from the hard shells but also from the purple skins. It's worth scalding the pistachios with boiling water to soften the skins, making them easier to remove. You can find methods on TikTok for quickly peeling pistachios, such as by squeezing the shell with your fingers.
Raw pistachios are too hard, and even a very good blender may struggle to grind them. To soften them, you need to roast them. You can do this in a pan, but an oven works much better, as the temperature is more consistent, reducing the risk of burning. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, spread the shelled nuts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and bake for about 7-10 minutes.
Pistachio nut butter
If you're in the mood for classic pistachio nut butter, put the roasted nuts and optionally 1-2 tablespoons of oil, such as cold-pressed rapeseed oil, into a blender. Blend into a smooth paste. Initially, you'll notice the fat separating from the nut powder, but after a moment, the ingredients should combine. The process will take about 3 minutes with a high-speed blender, but it's worth taking breaks to avoid overheating the appliance.
How to make sweet pistachio paste?
Below, you'll find a recipe for sweet pistachio paste, which is great as an addition to desserts or for filling croissants. This is the kind of paste used in Dubai chocolate, which disappears quickly from the markets. You can store the cream in a closed jar in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
Ingredients:
- 200 grams of pistachios,
- 1 white chocolate bar,
- 100 millilitres of heavy cream,
- a pinch of salt,
- optionally: 1-2 tablespoons of oil, 1-2 tablespoons of icing sugar.
Instructions:
- Peel the pistachios from the shells and roast in the oven (or in a pan). Set aside to cool, then blend with a pinch of salt and, optionally, 1-2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil – add the oil gradually to achieve a smooth consistency.
- Melt a white chocolate bar in a bain-marie. Mix with the cream, and optionally add icing sugar.
- Combine the sweet cream with the pistachio paste in a blender.
- Transfer to a clean, sterilised jar with a lid.
- If you don't use the paste immediately, refrigerate it in a closed jar.
