Crema di pistacchio
A Sicilian spread, famous above all from the pistachios of Bronte on the slopes of Etna. Homemade is simpler than it seems and far more pistachio-rich than shop-bought, which can contain just over ten per cent. Here they make up almost half. The pistachios are ground in a food processor until they release their oil and turn into a flowing paste — about ten minutes. Then they are combined with white chocolate and milk powder.
Your own work in that: 20 min.
- Toasting 8 min
- Grinding the pistachios 10 min
- Combining 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneToast the pistachios lightly
Spread the pistachios on a tray and toast 6–8 minutes at 150°C, until faintly fragrant. No longer and no hotter — browned, they lose their bright green and the cream turns brownish.
Ingredients: 200 g shelled unsalted pistachios · 30 ml neutral oil
Low heat — the pistachios must stay green.Cool until warm
Cool the pistachios until warm, not hot. Warm ones release oil faster in the processor; hot ones would overheat during grinding and turn bitter.
Ingredients: 200 g shelled unsalted pistachios · 30 ml neutral oil
Grind until they release oil
Grind the pistachios in a food processor 8–10 minutes, scraping down every 2 minutes. First comes a sandy meal, then a clumpy mass, finally a glossy, flowing paste. If the processor heats up, take a break.
Ingredients: 200 g shelled unsalted pistachios · 30 ml neutral oil
Meal, clumps, then — a flowing, glossy paste.Add the oil
Once the paste flows, add the oil and grind a minute more. Oil loosens the paste so the cream spreads even when chilled. A neutral oil will not mask the pistachio.
Ingredients: 200 g shelled unsalted pistachios · 30 ml neutral oil
Melt the white chocolate
Melt the white chocolate over a water bath or in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring. White chocolate overheats above about 45°C and seizes — do not overheat it.
Ingredients: 100 g white chocolate · 70 g icing sugar · 30 g whole milk powder · 1 pinch salt · 1 tsp vanilla sugar
Blend with sugar and milk powder
Add the icing sugar, milk powder, salt and vanilla sugar to the paste and grind 2 minutes. Milk powder gives creaminess without water — fresh milk would cut the cream's shelf life to days.
Ingredients: 100 g white chocolate · 70 g icing sugar · 30 g whole milk powder · 1 pinch salt · 1 tsp vanilla sugar
Pour in the chocolate and blend smooth
Pour in the melted chocolate and blend 2–3 minutes, until smooth and glossy. It is runny now — it thickens as it cools, to the consistency of a chocolate hazelnut spread.
Ingredients: 100 g white chocolate · 70 g icing sugar · 30 g whole milk powder · 1 pinch salt · 1 tsp vanilla sugar
Chocolate last — the cream thickens as it cools.Pot into jars
Spoon the warm cream into clean, dry jars and close. Keep in a cool place up to 3 weeks or in the fridge a month — bring to room temperature before use, as it hardens when chilled.
Ingredients: 100 g white chocolate · 70 g icing sugar · 30 g whole milk powder · 1 pinch salt · 1 tsp vanilla sugar
Before you start
A brighter green
For vivid green, blanch the pistachios a minute in boiling water, move to cold water and rub off the brown skins in a cloth. Then dry them thoroughly and dry out 10 minutes at 100°C before toasting — any water left will seize the chocolate. Laborious, but the colour is noticeably brighter.
Do not skimp on the processor
Only a strong food processor or jug blender will grind pistachios to a flowing paste. A weak machine overheats and gives a grainy cream. Grinding with pauses is normal.
What to use it for
On toast and croissants, to fill cornetti, in pistachio tiramisu, between sponge layers, over ice cream. A spoonful folded into whipped cream makes a quick pistachio mousse.