Have you ever come across a recipe that calls for pistachio paste and wondered where the heck could you get hold of some? Don’t worry. In these days, you can get almost anything online – pistachio paste included.
But…
You can also make it at home at a fraction of the cost – provided you have a high speed blender or a food processor. Pestle and mortar will work too, I reckon.
People say the best pistachio comes from Bronte, Italy. I wish I can get my hands on some now. Of course, the best comes with a higher price tag. The ones that I can source from my local supermarket are from the US which will have to do. I suspect they are from Napa Valley, California.
Shelled pistachios have pink-ish sun-kissed skin coating them, hiding the bright green color of the nuts underneath.
To get a greener pistachio paste, the skin will need to be removed. If you just think about color combination: green + red = brown. If you want to use the pistachio paste to make ice cream or macarons, to name a few things, green is the color you’re after. Definitely not brown.
While removing the pistachio skin can take a bit of a time, it’s not difficult. All you need to do is soak the shelled pistachios in hot water for 5 mins. Drain the water out.
In smaller batches, place the pistachios on a clean tea towel and rub between your palms. Most of the skin will come off. For the stubborn ones, peel the skin with your fingers. Discard the skin.
That’s more of the green we’re looking for.
Now to make the paste…
Here’s what I used:
- 250g unsalted shelled pistachio, blanched
- 125g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (you can use any flavorless oil)
- 5 tbsp water
In making my pistachio paste, I referred to Pierre Hermé’s recipe. However, he may cringe if he sees how much I have deviated from his way of doing it but this works for me. Pierre Hermé added almond meal and bitter almond extract to his recipe. I took ’em out totally. I wanted the paste to be pistachio only. And instead of making sugar syrup and adding it to the ground nuts, I merely used sugar and added water gradually in the blending process. Do note though, I am using a high speed blender to make the paste.
Picking up from where we left after removing the pistachio skin, place the pistachios on a baking tray in a single level. Dry them in a pre-heated oven at 100°C for 15 mins.
While still warm, transfer the pistachios to your food processor. I used my beloved Vitamix. Add sugar to the nuts and blend. You may need to use the tamper to push the nuts down into the blades. I added 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Blend.
Gradually add a tablespoon of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I used 5 tbsp in the end.
Transfer to a clean jar and keep refrigerated. They can last in the fridge for a few months.
Use them to make pistachio ice cream, pistachio ganache, use them in your bakes or simply spread them on toast. Devine.
