Chiclosos De Pistache Food

PISTACHIO GREEN MOLE (MOLE VERDE DE PISTACHE)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast until lightly brown, about 15 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the mole: In a pot, heat the grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add 2/3 cup water and the pistachios and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender along with the cilantro, hoja santa and spinach. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
• Serve the mole warm, with the roasted zucchini. Top with greens and serve rice and tortillas alongside.

PISTACHIO FALAFEL

Steps:

• Place the dried chickpeas in a bowl or resealable container. Fill with water to completely cover the chickpeas. Cover the container and refrigerate for 24 hours. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
• In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the pistachios, soaked chickpeas, mint, parsley, onion, coriander, cumin, baking soda, garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse the food processor until the mixture starts to come together, scraping down the sides every few pulses, making sure not to overblend. (You want it to have a slightly coarse texture; you do not want it to become a smooth paste.)
• Form the falafel mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball, then lightly press into discs. Place on a sheet tray.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with a wire rack.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick pan over a medium-high heat. Saute the falafel in batches, about 3 minutes on each side to caramelize. Transfer to the sheet pan with the rack and season with salt. Repeat as needed with more olive oil and the remaining falafel. Hold the falafel in the oven until ready to serve. Serve with the Yogurt Sauce, and sprinkle everything with the pomegranate seeds and whole mint leaves.
• For the yogurt sauce: Combine the yogurt, ground pistachios, tahini, cardamom, lemon juice and zest, grated garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix with a spoon or whisk until well blended. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

PISTACHIO CREME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Pour milk in a large pan, and cook on high heat. When milk starts boiling, remove from heat. Put a large empty bowl and another one filled with ice the refrigerator. Pour egg yolks and sugar into an electric mixer and mix until it becomes thick and white. Leave aside. Put milk back on heat and bring to boil. Pour a little milk into egg and sugar mix whipping constantly. Pour into milk pan and cook at low temperature stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until firm consistency (about 5 minutes). Do not bring to boil. To check if creme is ready, rub your finger on the back of the spoon and if it leaves a trace, the creme is cooked. Add the pistachio paste. Put the bowl on ice to stop the cooking process. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

PISTACHIO MACARONS

Steps:

• For the pistachio cream filling: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Spread the pistachios onto a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes. Let cool.
• Place the granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat (brush down the sides with water to avoid any clinging granules of sugar and prevent crystallization). Cook the syrup until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Add the toasted pistachios to the hot syrup and stir until the nuts are well coated. When all the sugar coats the pistachios and any remaining syrup turns powdery white, pour the nuts onto a baking sheet to cool.
• Once cooled, place the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor with the almond flour. Blend until the nuts resemble a coarse meal, approximately 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to blend the mixture. Add the butter, almond paste, almond extract and 3 tablespoons water. Keep mixing until mixture is a smooth paste, approximately 3 minutes.
• For the macarons: Mix the powdered sugar, almond flour and salt in a bowl using a whisk; set aside. In a separate bowl using a hand mixer, mix the granulated sugar, vanilla, food coloring and egg whites. Whip until the batter has firm shiny peaks. Take one-third of the wet mixture and fold into the dry ingredients. Gradually fold in the remaining batter. Once the dry ingredients have been absorbed, run a rubber spatula over the mixture to create a shine. This process is called macaroning and is key to the overall recipe.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe the mixture in 1-inch rounds onto the cookie sheets. It's important to create a consistent size for each cookie. Let stand for 30 minutes to create a thin crust on the outside.
• Adjust the oven racks: Put one in the lower third of the oven and a second in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake until the macarons puff and rise to form ''feet'' and are crisp, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets before filling.
• Put about 1 teaspoon of pistachio cream filling between 2 cookies to create the finished macarons.

PISTACHIO & MILK CHOCOLATE SQUARES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Whizz 125g of the pistachios, 75g of the chocolate and about half the sugar in a food processor until very finely chopped. Tip into a bowl with remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour and milk, plus a pinch of salt, and beat. Scrape into the tin and bake for 35-45 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool.
• Melt the remaining milk chocolate, stir in the soured cream and cool until spreadable. Trim the edges off the cake, then split in half. Spread a little icing over the base, sandwich the top of sponge back on. Spread remaining icing over the top, roughly chop the remaining pistachios and scatter them over. Cut into 16 squares to serve.

WHITE CHOCOLATE, MASCARPONE & PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Line the base of a deep 20cm springform cake tin with baking parchment and butter the base and sides. Melt the white chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of just simmering water (ensure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a microwave in short bursts. When the chocolate is completely smooth, stir in the biscuits and a small pinch of salt. Press into the base of the tin, all the way to the edges, ensuring the base is even. Put in the fridge to chill for at least 20 mins.
• Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Beat the mascarpone, yogurt, eggs, caster sugar, lemon zest and juice and vanilla bean paste together with an electric whisk until smooth, then tip over the biscuit base. Transfer the tin to a baking tray and bake for 45 mins until almost set, with just a slight wobble in the middle. Turn the oven off with the cheesecake inside, and leave the door ajar. Leave the cheesecake to cool completely.
• Once completely cool and set, loosen the sides and base of the tin with a knife, and carefully transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate. Scatter over the pistachios and dust with the icing sugar, then serve with the berries on the side.

CHICLOSOS DE PISTACHE

Steps:

• Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan. Cover with parchment paper or aluminum foil (the butter will help it adhere to the pan). Butter the parchment or foil and set aside.
• Place the cream, butter, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy, deep saucepan or pot over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking until the mixture starts to turn golden, then swirl lightly to caramelize evenly.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream mixture, being very careful because it will bubble up and steam. Once it stops bubbling, return the mixture to the heat and continue to cook, adjusting the heat to maintain a constant soft simmer, until it reaches 248°F on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Stir in the pistachios and pour into the prepared pan.
• Let sit for 2 to 3 hours, until cool to the touch. Cut into 1-inch pieces and wrap each piece in a piece of cellophane or wax paper, twisting the ends to secure. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for about 1 month.
• The punto, the exact moment when the candy is ready varies not only between different types of candy but also with relation to personal preference. It is one of the most important aspects of the candy making process because it defines the texture. Throughout my travels, whenever I asked someone when they'd know their creation was ready, they always responded "when it reaches the punto." I didn't find one person in Mexico who relied on thermometers or cared to have one. They rely on their senses and experience and are artisans in the truest sense of the word.