Pistachio Puff Food

PISTACHIO CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add egg; beat well. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny., Drop by rounded 1/4 cupfuls 3 in. apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Immediately split the puffs open; remove tops and set aside. Discard the soft dough from inside. Cool puffs., In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Just before serving, fill cream puffs and replace tops. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

PISTACHIO CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Add all ingredients into a medium sized bowl, then mash together with a spatula or your fingers until an uniform looking dough forms.
• Place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper, then roll the dough out to be about 1/8" thick (Try to make it into a perfect rectangle, as it makes cutting out the circles easier later). Place into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, while you make the choux.
• Preheat oven to 475°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. Also prepare a pastry bag by adding a plain ½" tip.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add milk, water, butter, 1 tbsp sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add flour in the pot, all at once, and begin to stir very quickly. A ball of dough should form relatively quickly. Continue cooking, stirring vigorously, until a dry film begins to form on the bottom and sides of the saucepan. Remove from heat.
• Place dough into a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat for about 30 seconds to a minute, to cool the dough down. Add one egg and beat until completely incorportated (the dough should look dry again). Continue adding eggs one at a time, ensuring that each is completely incorporated before adding the next, scraping at the sides of the bowl occasionally. After the 4th egg, place remove paddle from mechanism and place deep into the batter, if the batter forms a nice "V" shape off the paddle, it is ready. If the batter still looks thick and does not form a nice "V" then add another egg. Dough should be thick and very sticky, but also shiny and smooth.
• Add dough to the piping bag, and pipe directly onto parchment lined baking sheets. Pipe about nine equal 2" rounds per baking sheet (about 18 total).
• Cut out 18 rounds out of the cold craquelin topping, about the same diameter as the piped cream puffs. Place each round onto a piped cream puff, lightly pressing it down to secure it.
• Place into the 475°F oven, for exactly 1 minute then immediately turn the oven off. After 9 minutes, turn the oven back on to 350°F, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Rotate pans and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cream puffs are puffed (~ 30 minutes of total baking time). To ensure the cream puffs are finished, remove one of the oven and check if it deflates within 45 seconds - if it deflates they are not finished.
• When done, turn the oven off, and crack the oven 1/3 way open. Allow cream puffs to cool for 30-45 minutes in the cracked oven. Then, remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.
• Place chopped white chocolate into a medium size mixing bowl, then set aside.
• Place heavy cream into a medium pot over medium heat. Heat until the mixture just begins to come to a low boil. Remove from heat and pour over top of the chopped chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 minute, then whisk together until all the chocolate has melted and the ganache is very smooth.
• Add the pistachio paste, then whisk again until smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap over top of the surface of the ganache and place into the fridge to cool for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
• When cooled, place the ganache into your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the ganache until stiff peaks have formed.
• (Optional) For added texture, fold in some finely ground pistachios (you can grind these yourself with you food processor).
• Using a serrate knife, cut off the top of each cream puff. Using a spoon or a piping bag fitted with a star tip, fill each cream puff with whipped chocolate ganache. Then place the top back on and dust with confectioners sugar. Enjoy immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

PISTACHIO PUFF

Steps:

• Mix one small box of dry pudding mix, pineapple and nuts (if using) together.
• Add marshmallows and cool whip.
• Put in a pretty, clear serving bowl.
• Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

PEAR AND PISTACHIO PUFF PASTRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Combine pear halves and 1 cup dessert wine in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring wine to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until pears are just tender, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pear halves to paper towels and drain well. Boil pear poaching liquid in saucepan until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 7 minutes. Set glaze aside.
• Finely grind 2/3 cup unsalted pistachios and sugar in processor. Add unsalted butter and egg; blend just until filling is combined. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover pears and nut filling separately and refrigerate. Cover glaze and let stand at room temperature.)
• Unfold pastry sheets on work surface; press out folds. Using 4 1/4-inch scalloped round cookie cutter, cut out four rounds from each sheet. Using 3 1/2-inch round from cookie cutter, cut out one 3 1/2-inch round from each of four rounds (reserve 3 1/2-inch rounds for another use); set pastry rings aside. Brush egg glaze over outer edges of four 4 1/4-inch solid rounds. Pierce rounds all over with fork. Top each with one pastry ring. Transfer pastries to baking sheet. Freeze 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover and keep frozen).
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake pastries 10 minutes, piercing centers with fork if centers rise. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Spoon 1/4 of nut filling into center of each pastry. Slice pear halves and arrange atop filling, covering completely. Bake until pastries are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool pastries at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Brush pears with glaze. Sprinkle chopped pistachios around pears. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve.

PISTACHIO FLUFF

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine cottage cheese and 1 cup yogurt; cover and process until smooth. , Place remaining yogurt in a large bowl. Add pudding mix; whisk for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cottage cheese mixture; mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until serving.