Flourless Pistachio Cake With Strawberry Meringue Food

FLOURLESS PISTACHIO CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY MERINGUE

Steps:

• Make the cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly brush a 9-inch springform pan with oil and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Brush parchment with oil and set pan aside.
• In a food processor, pulse pistachios with 1/4 cup sugar until finely ground (avoid overgrinding); set aside.
• In two large bowls, separate the 6 eggs into yolks and whites, reserving the sixth egg white for another use. Add 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, salt, and cardamom to bowl with egg yolks and beat using an electric mixer until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Set egg yolk mixture aside and thoroughly clean and dry the beaters.
• Add a pinch of salt to the bowl with the egg whites and beat using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• Add half of the whipped egg whites and all of the ground pistachios to the egg yolk mixture and fold until combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold until batter is just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until beginning to brown and just barely set, 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the meringue topping:
• In a food processor, process the strawberries into a fine powder. Set aside 1 Tbsp. of the powder for decorating the cake, and pour the remaining powder into a medium bowl. Whisk in the almond flour and the potato starch.
• In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat 5 egg whites and vinegar until soft peaks form, then gradually beat in the sugar and continue to whip until meringue is stiff and glossy and all the sugar has dissolved, 7-8 minutes. Gently fold almond mixture into meringue until just combined.
• Remove cake from oven. Using an offset spatula or table knife, spread meringue mixture evenly over hot cake, starting from the outside and working your way into the center. Return cake to oven and bake until meringue is lightly browned and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool, and immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan. Let cake cool at least 30 minutes before decorating.
• Decorate the cake:
• Place the reserved strawberry powder in a fine-mesh sieve and dust over cake as desired.
• Do Ahead
• Cake can be made up to one day before serving: cool to room temperature, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and store at room temperature.

PISTACHIO MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Tape the parchment to the baking sheets. Set aside. Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the egg whites are warm to the touch and the sugar no longer feels grainy. Using an electric mixer beat until stiff peaks form. This will take several minutes. Add the saffron and rose water and beat for a few more seconds until combined. If mixing the pistachios into the meringues gently fold them into the meringue. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a large star shaped tip. (Alternatively, use a large ziplock back with the corner cut off). Pipe one inch cookies onto the parchment. If you did not fold the pistachios into the mixture sprinkle them on top of the cookies. Bake for 1 ½ hours or until they no longer feel sticky to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven to dry completely, at least another hour or overnight.

FLOURLESS PISTACHIO AND ALMOND CAKE (GLUTEN-FREE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C Grease and line a 24 cm round cake tin.
• Place 200g pistachios in a blender and pulse until a fine crumb forms. Add the blended pistachios, almond meal, nutmeg, sugars and butter to a large bowl. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips to incorporate.
• Press half the mixture into the base of the lined tin.
• Add to the remaining mixture in the bowl - the eggs, yolk and yoghurt. Mix to combine.
• Add the 2nd layer of cake mixture to the tin and press inches.
• Scatter the cake with the remaining pistachios.
• Bake for 35 minutes, until golden, then cool on a wire rack.
• Serve with honey and extra yoghurt.

PISTACHIO MERINGUES WITH SUMMER BERRIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the pistachio nuts into a shallow roasting tin and toast in the oven for about 7-10 mins until golden. Place in a food processor and blitz until coarsely ground.
• Blend the cornflour and vinegar to a paste. In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar a tbsp at a time until it forms a stiff glossy mixture.
• Fold most of the pistachios into the meringue, reserving about 2 tbsp. Finally stir through the cornflour mixture. Spoon the mixture onto the baking tray to make four large meringue nests, using the back of the spoon to hollow out the centres. Sprinkle with the reserved pistachios and bake for about 45 mins until firm and crisp on the outside. Turn off the oven, but leave the meringues in to dry out in the warmth until completely cold.
• To serve, place a meringue on each plate and spoon a little crème fraîche into the middle. Sprinkle over the seasonal berries and serve.