Pistachio Praline Recipes

PISTACHIO PRALINE BARS

Steps:

• Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. Line with parchment, allowing 2 inches to hang over the long sides. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, tilting pan to swirl and washing down sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Boil, without stirring, until mixture turns medium amber, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and stir in pistachios and salt. Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet, and quickly spread evenly with an offset spatula. Let cool until just set but still soft, about 2 minutes. Using the parchment as handles, transfer warm praline to a cutting board. Immediately cut praline into bars of desired size using a serrated knife lightly coated with oil. Let cool completely.

PISTACHIO PRALINES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil 2 large baking sheets and line with parchment paper.
• In a baking pan spread pistachios evenly and toast in middle of oven until fragrant, about 10 minutes. In a bowl toss hot pistachios with butter and granulated sugar and cool completely.
• In a 4-quart heavy saucepan cook brown sugars, cream, and salt over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and washing down any sugar crystals clinging to side of pan with a brush dipped in cold water, until sugars are completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 238°F. Remove pan from heat (leave thermometer in pan) and cool mixture until thermometer registers 220°F, about 5 to 10 minutes. With a wooden spoon stir in vanilla and vigorously stir mixture until creamy and beginning to lose its sheen. Working quickly, drop mixture by teaspoons onto baking sheets and top each praline with 3 pistachios. (If mixture becomes too stiff to spoon, warm it over low heat, stirring, until just workable.) Let pralines stand at room temperature until firm, about 1 hour. Pralines keep, layered between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature or chilled, 1 week.

LEMON AND PISTACHIO PRALINE MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• FOR PRALINE:
• Oil large baking sheet. Stir sugar and water in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally. Stir in pistachios. Immediately pour mixture onto prepared sheet. Cool praline completely.
• Finely chop praline. Grind 1/2 cup praline to powder in processor.
• FOR MERINGUES:
• Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven. Preheat oven to 225°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Draw two 8-inch-diameter circles on 1 parchment sheet and 1 circle on second. Turn over parchment on baking sheets, marked side down. Using electric mixer, beat 5 egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar; beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Beat in almond extract. Stir powdered sugar and 1/2 cup praline powder in bowl to blend. Fold into meringue in 2 additions.
• Divide meringue among traced circles. Using spatula, spread mixture to edges. Bake until crisp and pale golden, reversing baking sheets after 45 minutes, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cool meringues completely.
• FOR LEMON BUTTERCREAM:
• Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Remove from over water; cool.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 2/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons water and corn syrup in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until candy thermometer registers 238°F., brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Immediately pour hot syrup in thin steady stream into beaten egg whites, beating until mixture is completely cool, about 4 minutes. Beat in butter 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat in white chocolate, lemon juice, peel and vanilla. Chill until thickened to spreadable consistency, about 45 minutes or less (If frosting looks curdled, place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk just until butter softens slightly. Remove from heat. Using electric mixer, beat buttercream until smooth. Repeat warming technique as necessary to create smooth buttercream.)
• Place 1 meringue layer on platter. Spread scant 1 cup buttercream evenly over. Top with another meringue layer. Spread scant 1 cup buttercream evenly over top and sides of torte. Press chopped praline onto sides and in 1-inch border along top edge of torte. Chill overnight. Let torte stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

PISTACHIO BAVARIAN CREAM AND PRALINE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pistachio nuts, and blanch for 30 seconds; drain. When nuts are cool enough to handle, remove skins. Spread out on a baking tray, and place in the oven until they are dry but still green in color, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool. Set aside 1 1/4 cups nuts. Transfer remaining nuts to a food processor, and process until coarsely ground. Place ground nuts and milk in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium bowl; set aside in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
• To make the praline: Place a Silpat (a French nonstick baking mat) on a baking tray; set aside. Place 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and brushing down the sides of the pan with water as needed, until sugar is golden in color, about 10 minutes. Add reserved 1 1/4 cups nuts, and stir to combine. Pour mixture onto the prepared baking tray, and allow to cool. Break into pieces, and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the caramel is coarsely chopped; set aside.
• To make the bavarian cream: Fill a bowl with ice and water; set aside. Remove milk-nut mixture from refrigerator, and strain through cheesecloth into a medium saucepan, squeezing all milk from the nuts. Discard nuts. There should be 2 cups strained milk. Bring milk to a simmer over medium-low heat. While milk is heating, whisk egg yolks with remaining cup sugar in a medium bowl, until pale and combined. Pour hot milk slowly into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return egg-milk mixture to the saucepan, and cook, stirring constantly until it thickens and coats the spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not allow mixture to boil. Remove from heat, and stir in softened gelatin until completely dissolved. Strain mixture into a clean bowl, and set over ice bath, stirring occasionally until mixture is cold. Add kirsch, and stir to combine.
• Using an electric mixer, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into egg-milk mixture until just combined. Use immediately.

PISTACHIO PRALINE & VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
• Blitz the pistachios in a food processor until very fine. Add the self-raising flour and caster sugar to the nuts and blitz until completely combined. Add eggs, baking powder and milk and mix together.
• Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
• For the filling mix the soft cheese with the caster sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence.
• Sandwich the sponges with the filling. For the topping, stir 2 tbsp water with 100g caster sugar in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on High for 3-4 mins until bubbling and starting to caramelise. Stir in a handful of roughly chopped pistachios then quickly spoon onto the cake. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.