Strawberry Pistachio Mille Feuillantines Food

STRAWBERRY PISTACHIO MILLE-FEUILLANTINES

Steps:

• Make wafers:
• Preheat oven to 325° F. and spray a heavy or non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
• Rub off loose skins from pistachios and in a food processor grind nuts with granulated sugar. In a bowl whisk together pistachio mixture, flour, and salt and whisk in whites, butter, and vanilla until combined well. Drop rounded teaspoons batter 5 inches apart onto baking sheet and with back of a spoon spread into 3 1/2- to 4-inch rounds. Bake wafers in middle of oven 8 minutes, or until golden.
• Working quickly, transfer hot wafers with a thin metal spatula to a rack to cool completely. (If wafers become too crisp to remove from baking sheet, return to oven 1 minute, or until heated through and pliable.) Make more wafers with remaining batter in same manner, spraying or re-lining sheet for each batch. Wafers may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Makes 16 to 20 wafers.
• Into a chilled bowl scrape seeds of vanilla bean and add cream and granulated sugar. With a whisk or an electric mixer beat mixture until it holds stiff peaks. Whipped cream may be made 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Whisk cream briefly before using.
• Just before serving, assemble mille-feuillantines:
• Put a wafer in center of each of 4 plates. Spread about 2 tablespoons whipped cream on each wafer, leaving a 1/4-inch border, and top with half of strawberries. Put another wafer on top of strawberries and top in same manner with remaining cream and strawberries. Dust 4 wafers with confectioners' sugar and put on top of desserts. Garnish each mille-feuillantine with a strawberry and sprinkle plates with pistachios.

STRAWBERRY AND PISTACHIO GALETTE

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse to combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse until lima-bean-size pieces form. Drizzle in lemon juice and 3 tablespoons/45 milliliters ice water, then pulse just until dough comes together, adding another tablespoon/15 milliliters of water if dough looks dry. Pat into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Make the strawberry compote: Combine approximately 2/3 of the strawberries in a small pot with the lemon juice and 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar to taste, depending on sweetness of the berries. Cook over medium heat until strawberries start to break down and juices are thick and syrupy, about 12 minutes. Let cool. Compote can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
• Make the frangipane: In a food processor, process 3/4 cup/100 grams shelled raw pistachios and remaining 1/2 cup/100 grams sugar until finely ground. Add butter; pulse until combined, then add 2 eggs, the brandy, the lemon zest and the almond extract (if using), and pulse until smooth.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Dust a work surface with flour. Roll out dough to a 16-inch circle (it will be just slightly thicker than 1/8-inch), then transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Leaving a 3-inch border around the edges, spread the frangipane filling evenly over dough. Using a slotted spoon, dollop strawberry compote over frangipane, spreading any syrup gently so the compote and frangipane remain in separate layers, then fold dough edges up over the filling. About 6 to 8 inches of the filling should be exposed.
• In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg with 1 tablespoon cold water, then brush over the dough. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and chopped pistachios. Bake until edges are deeply golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, top with remaining halved strawberries and dust with confectioners' sugar.

PISTACHIO, STRAWBERRY AND VANILLA SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• Line a metal loaf pan (approximately 9x5x3") with 2 layers of plastic wrap, leaving generous overhang on all sides.
• Grind pistachios and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer pistachio mixture to a small sauce- pan. Add 1/2 cup milk; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl; strain, discarding solids. Stir in almond extract; set pistachio mixture aside.
• Place remaining 1/2 cup milk in a separate small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean and bring to a simmer. Re- move from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes. Set a strainer over another medium bowl; strain, discarding solids, and chill vanilla mixture.
• Purée strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over another medium bowl; strain, pressing on solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard solids. Stir in vanilla extract and set strawberry mixture aside.
• Whisk eggs, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium metal bowl. Set bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Beat egg mixture at high speed until it triples in volume and an instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 170°F, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water and continue beating until thick and cool, about 3 minutes. Add one-third of egg mixture to each of the pistachio, strawberry, and vanilla mixtures; fold each just to blend.
• Beat cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add one-third of cream to each of the pistachio, strawberry, and vanilla mixtures; fold each just to blend. Cover vanilla and strawberry mixtures separately; chill. Pour pistachio mixture into pan; smooth top. Cover; freeze until firm, about 45 minutes. Gently pour straw- berry mixture over pistachio layer; smooth top. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes. Gently fold vanilla mixture to blend; pour over and smooth top. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Fold plastic wrap over; seal tightly and keep frozen.
• Uncover semifreddo. Using plastic wrap as an aid, lift from mold. Invert onto a chilled platter; peel off plastic. Slice crosswise.