Pistachio macarons

I never thought I would love baking with pistachios as much as I do now. I always loved pistachios as a salty snack but never really imagined them as a dessert component. When I first had the idea of making a dessert from pistachios I couldn't find any unsalted pistachio nuts in our stores. I gave up on the idea but not long after that I finally got them. A few weeks ago a was lucky enough that my mother-in-law bought me packs of unsalted pistachios from France. I immediately thought of making the filling for my macarons with them.

The recipe for the pistachio filling is from Adriano Zumbo's book called Zumbarons. It is basically a white chocolate ganache with pistachio paste. The ganache seems simple to make but it caused me some problems. When I stirred the pistachio paste in melted white chocolate it separated and the fat leaked out from the chocolate. I placed the mixture in the fridge to set and then I whipped until the fat was incorporated back into the chocolate. I don't know why this happened, but it was fixable and it tasted delicious. The pistachio flavor was really prominent and the ganache was nice and smooth.

I also made a strawberry jelly for some freshness. I placed it in the middle of the white chocolate-pistachio ganache. I used fresh and very sweet strawberries. The aroma of the strawberries came through and the macarons smelled like fresh strawberries and cream. The jelly is simple to make and if you can't find fresh strawberries you can also use frozen.

If you don't want to make the jelly, just make the pistachio filling and the macarons will still be delightful.
The macarons were super tasty and they are definitely one of my favorites to make and to eat.

Pistachio macarons

(Makes about 40)

Time:

Preparation: 50min

Resting: 30min
Baking: 15-18min

Cooling: 20min
Assembly: 20min

For the macaron shells:

• 95g room temperature egg whites
• 125g granulated white sugar
• 40g water
• 135g almond flour or finely ground almonds
• 135g icing sugar
• green food coloring (optional)
• 10g crushed pistachios (for garnish)

For the pistachio-white chocolate filling:

• 37g heavy cream
• 10g white granulated sugar
• 175g white chocolate
• 32g toasted pistachios (toast in an oven 180°C(350°F) for 10min)
• 11g un-toasted pistachios
• 15g vegetable oil
• 18g soft cubed butter
• a pinch of salt (salt flakes)

For the strawberry jelly:

• 200g strawberries (I used fresh)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon agar-agar powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon muscovado sugar (optional)

Making the strawberry jelly:

Cut the strawberries in medium sized pieces. Place the strawberries, water and sugars in a small pot and cook until the strawberries are soft. Blend the mixture with a stick blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the mixture in another pot through a sieve, discard the fleshy bits and add agar-agar. 

 Cook on medium heat and boil for a couple of minutes. take of the heat and add lemon juice.

Pour the mixture in a container (thickness about 2cm). Leave at room temperature until slightly set, then transfer in a fridge to set completely, about 2 hours.    

Making the pistachio-white chocolate ganache:

Put the toasted and un-toasted pistachios in a food processor and process to a fine paste. Add up to 15 grams of oil while the motor is running to achieve a smooth consistency and set aside.

Put the cream and the sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile chop the chocolate in small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and wait 2 minutes. 

Stir until smooth and cool to about 50°C. When the chocolate is at the right temperature blitz in the pistachio paste and butter with a stick mixer. Allow the ganache to set in the fridge until firm.    

Making the macaron shells:

The preparation for the shells is the same as in the Basic macarons recipe. To make the shells green, add a drop of green food coloring in a hot sugar syrup for the Italian meringue. I always add a bit more color to the mixture because during the baking the color fades a little.

 Here is a little trick I have learned. I always put the piping bag in a large glass and I twist and place a plastic clip at the piping bag attachment, so that the macaron mixture doesn't leak out while I pour it in the bag.

Pipe the macarons on a parchment paper/silicone mat. Tap the tray with the macarons on the table a few times to pop the air bubbles in the shells. Add a pinch of crushed pistachios on half of the macaron shells (the ones that will form the top of the macaron).

Bake in the preheated oven at 150°C (302°F) for 15 minutes. Let the macarons cool completely, if the macarons are still sticky at the bottom return them to the oven and bake more. 

Assembly:

Place the strawberry jelly on a cutting board and cut out small circles. I used a round end of a piping attachment and it worked great. My jellies were a bit thick so a split them in half using a sharp knife.

Pipe a generous dollop of the pistachio-white chocolate ganache on a bottom half of the macaron. Pipe along the edges of a macaron, then with a palette knife smear the ganache to the center, making a small dent in the middle.

Place a round piece of strawberry jelly in the center, sprinkle over some leftover crushed pistachios and top with the upper macaron shell. Store them in the fridge in an air-tight container. Wait 24 hour before eating them (if you can).Waiting or "maturing" allows the flavors to come together and the macarons will become soft and extremely flavorful. 

This is my last post before my tip to Paris. I hope I will come back with a lot of new ideas and inspiration for future baking adventures.