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Hi- I need to find a few sources for pistachio paste. What's your favorite brand and who do you order from? Who has the best prices?

Was there a pistachio paste involved over the bottom of crust or just the top sprinkle. Like the combo.

Reactivating this thread initiated by @blue_dolphin! March's theme for the cookbook club I participate in was Nik Sharma, and I decided to prepare the Grilled grape leaf-wrapped shrimp for the occasion. I liked the concept of marinating shrimp in something tasty and then using grape leaves to steam the shrimp on the grill (one of my favorite San Diego restaurants used to make swordfish dolmas, which is the same concept and is absolutely delicious). The marinade is a paste of pistachio nuts (Trader Joe's was out of raw pistachios, so I used dry roasted), lemongrass, cilantro (lots of it), baby arugula, serrano chiles, peppercorns, salt lemon, and olive oil. This gave quite of a workout to my trusted and somewhat ancient Hamilton blender, but we managed to make it work. 😄 Regarding the pistachios, to be honest they impart more texture than taste, and I wonder if something else could be used instead. The (peeled, deveined) shrimp marinates for an hour in the fridge, and then it's time to wrap it in grape leaves. Once skewered, they cook for 3-4 minutes on each side on a hot grill (I used a grill basket for convenience so there would be no risk of losing shrimp between the grates). They are served with some of the reserved marinade on the side. I enjoyed this recipe which would make a very nice snack for a cocktail party!

Potatoes and chickpeas with pistachio-parsley sauce. Hot-smoked salmon. Still drinking some very old sour beer from my "cellar". ------ Smoked sprats from Latvia. Huevo de atun (dried tuna roe) from Murcia. A spread: beetroot, walnuts, ground flax seeds. ------ Moroccan "pancakes" (from a Moroccan bakery) Moroccan fried flatbread (from the same Moroccan bakery) In the middle is Turkish tandir flatbread with spicy pepper paste and mince (from Turkish shop with tandir ovens)

I already had some pistachio paste (plain, no caramel), so simply ground some caramel with the paste. If I were to start with pistachios, I would toast them very slightly, just until they smell fragrant. I have used a Notter recipe for pistachio ganache, which I thought was OK but did not have sufficient pistachio taste for me. I now make pistachio praline gianduja and obtain much more nut flavor. I tasted all types of chocolate and found that white worked best for me (the others overwhelmed the pistachio taste, which my experiments taught me is quite delicate). I also found that adding a few toasted and chopped pistachios to each cavity before piping the gianduja improved the taste (and yes, I realize that it is completely counter-intuitive to make a smooth paste and then add nuts). My favorite way to use the gianduja is to pipe a layer of PdF (usually cherry) and then pistachio gianduja on top.

Glad you had more success with this batch. I don't know which version of the melanger you have, but the new model has a lid. Somewhere on eG I did a comparison of Sicilian and California (Fiddyment Farms) pistachio paste, and having them both on hand now has brought me to the same conclusion: Fiddyment Farms has a brighter, fresher, more pistachio-y taste, whereas the Sicilian (this brand is Corsiglia and is available from L'Epicérie) is richer and darker. I don't understand why the texture is so different; it must be due to the nature of Sicilian pistachios. Fiddyment does not grind the pistachios into a completely smooth paste. The price is very different. a 2-kilo container of Fiddyment is $134; same amount of Corsiglia is $222.

Which size do you have? For the 8-lb. melanger, here are the figures: Minimum capacity 2.5lbs/1kg; Maximum capacity 8lbs/3.5kg . Nuts differ a lot in the amount of oil they contain. The California pistachio paste I often use is rather thick, certainly not fluid enough to pour. I just got some Italian pistachio paste, and it's the consistency of olive oil. Did you "pre-grind" the hazelnuts before putting them in the melanger?

It definitely worked better, @pastrygirl! I spent the day doing a few other nut varieties (pecans, almonds, pistachio) in larger quantities and while there was still a bit of 'spitting', it ran normally (and cleaned the walls and floor while keeping an eye out:) @Jim D. - I did grind the hazelnuts beforehand, I think I just did too small of a batch. And you're totally right, it's possible this batch of hazelnuts was more oily so that could have contributed. How did you like the Italian pistachio paste?

Great success with the melanger today. I had a large container of plain pistachio paste but wanted to have it "pralined" and have been unable to obtain the Cacao Barry paste. My issue with the previously mentioned almond praline paste was that the caramel bits became gummy and never totally dissolved. Thanks to @Kerry Beal's friend @Alleguede, I have conquered that problem. For hard-crack caramel I have always made a wet caramel, and he immediately diagnosed the water as the problem. He made a suggestion I have never heard anywhere else: Start by bringing some glucose to a boil, then add granulated sugar (so it is mostly a dry caramel), stir until it caramelizes, then pour onto a Silpat and, after it has cooled, grind into powder. So I powered up the melanger, added the already ground (but not by any means smooth) pistachio paste, then the caramel bits gradually, plus sea salt. Within a few hours it had become a completely smooth and deliciously caramelized pistachio paste (I used @Rajala's suggestion of 60% pistachio, 40% sugar). Now I'm searching for what I can grind up next!

At last (I think) I will be able to begin using the melanger next week. My first project is almond praline paste. I have usually made it 50-50 almonds and caramelized sugar, but would like to experiment with 60-40 almonds to sugar to help diminish the sweetness. Is there any reason why this would not work in terms of texture? I know that Cacao Barry's pistachio praline paste is 70% pistachios, so the principle seems to suggest it is OK. Since, by the way, that delicious and hard-to-source paste is $128 per kilo, achieving an acceptable pistachio praline at home is the next goal.

I would have thought the oil would make the paste more fluid (i.e., less viscous), so am surprised. I agree about the price of pistachios. I have a large container of already-made pistachio paste from Fiddyment Farms in California, so will begin by grinding that for a while, then gradually adding some caramelized sugar. It may turn out that buying their paste is less expensive than buying pistachios and grinding from scratch. I also agree about toasting only a little. Some people don't approve of toasting them at all. Some recipes (Greweling has one) recommend peeling the nuts, mostly to get a better color. Now that's a task for very patient people.

I agree with the pairing statement. One of my favorite fillings is to pair pistachio gianduja with cherry pâte de fruit (I use Morello cherry purée). I think pistachio gianduja profits from a substantial amount of sea salt. The pistachio paste I get from Fiddyment Farms has a good pistachio flavor, but it is definitely not smooth. That does not bother me because I often add some slightly toasted pistachios to the gianduja for the added crunch.

We have a Magimix mini which is small enough to sit on the worktop (next to the far larger Kitchenaid stand mixer and its new friend the Ninja Creami 😁). We bought the Magimix simply because the motor is rated sufficiently to turn pistachios into pistachio paste, likewise hazelnuts etc. I wouldn’t give it up because making one’s own nut pastes is so much more economical here than buying ready made. The Magimix also makes great pancake batter and similar; it slices potatoes for gratin dauphinois and grates carrots etc for salads. All parts go in the dishwasher as needed. Perhaps much depends on what one likes to create but I don’t regret the Magimix despite numerous less expensive and larger options.

I had not tried it before. I ended up purchasing it. I was so low on raw Italian pistachios I had to get something. The pistachio flavor does not compare to the the raw pistachios that I was toasted and grinding (or the Giannetti concentrate I purchased for comparison) but now I have a kg to get through. I'm considering adding some non-bonbon items to my shop so that could be an opportunity to use quite a bit of it. It does have an incredibly smooth texture and it's very easy to mix the oil back in so those are two positives. I have looked at a lot of supplier catalogues over the last few weeks and I haven't seen anyone with the Cocao Barry pistachio praline paste. It looks fantastic, that's a real shame you can't get it. Berries/red fruits seem to go really well with pistachio. Growing black currant is banned here in RI so you rarely see them in local desserts. Not sure why as it's still legal to purchase the processed fruit.

Not all of these are food, but they're all food related. This year, we (actually my wife) got quite a few "gifts" from some companies she knows through work.... First, a cookbook/spice company sales pitch. The book is filled with recipes from lots of well known chefs, each using one of the company's proprietary spice mixes. The book even came with 5 sample containers. While I'll probably never make anything out of the book (or use the spices) I think it's an interesting way to sell your wares - make a cookbook that people buy in order to get them to buy more of your products. This Sicily book is less self serving and came from a totally different organization than the stuff below. As books go, it seems actually really good - there's a whole section in the front describing the most common ingredients used in Sicilian cooking as well as common aroma/flavor profiles. While I probably won't make anything from the book, I would like to read through it when (if) I get some time. Every year for the past several years, Donnafugata (a well known/respected Sicilian wine company) sends us (her) a box with a bunch of stuff. In the past there was a bar of Sicilian nougat filled with pistachios, chocolates made with chilli (these were awesome), wild capers from their property in Pantelleria, raisins made from the same grapes that go into their amazing (and crazy expensive) Ben Rye sweet wine (too bad they didn't include a bottle of that!), as well as a small painting on a wood base that is actually quite pretty. This year included capers (now in a branded jar as opposed to just a plastic bag as in previous years), wild oregano from Pantelleria, some ancient grain linguine and a recipe card. I've got to find some decent anchovies - one day I will definitely try to make this as it sounds like nothing I've ever had before. Last but not least, this came from the Rhone valley in France - I don't know when I'll use it but I am curious to try it on something.

I really like this pistachio paste, but haven't seen it anywhere except on Amazon. Unfortunately it is currently out of stock, which is very sad for me, since my jar has only a few teaspoons left. I can't attest to cooking with it, since mostly I either put it on toast or just spoon it from the jar and get transported. Very very good. And not cheap, of course. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0763T4QWS/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_6?smid=&psc=1 Pistachio isn't really on topic, though. As for chestnuts I've always loved them roasted from a cart on the street, but strangely I don't like chestnut desserts.

Staff note: this post has been moved from Chestnut Sweets and Desserts. Have you tried the corsiglia pistachio paste? I live near L'Epicerie and the price is very enticing especially when I can pick up instead of getting it delivered. I'm looking to replace raw italian pistachios (I low roast them) from a local place, unfortunately they can't source the quantity I need right now. It is for a raspberry dark choc ganache/pistachio white choc ganache if that helps. I'm concerned the flavor could overwhelm.

The first truly gorgeous and warm spring day this year. Can't believe it wasn't that long ago at this same time the streets round the globe were deserted and the whole world descended into chaos. Pets couldn't wrap their heads round their owners' constant presence. Someone was happy with these. Various fillings (just full fat drained quark with beetroot, pistachios, dill and cooked eggs.) Pastry cases and blinis are shop-bought. Toppings for everything here are North Sea shrimp (peeled the day before as this task always takes the longest), gherkins, gravadlax, crispy-fried Speck, samphire briefly tossed in the warm Speck fat, and Matjes (very tender and fatty, almost like a "virgin"/new season Matjes, though not quite). Simple yeast dough filled with almond paste and chocolate.

Every time I tried to order the Corsiglia pistachio, it was out of stock, so I gave up and got my usual one from Fiddyment Farms in California. I used to get Agrimontana pure pistachio from L'Epicérie, but now they have just the one with almonds (what's the point of that, I ask myself). Have you tried the Corsiglia? What I really want is the Cacao Barry pistachio praline paste. I got one jar, and I loved the caramel flavor. But now it seems impossible to get in the U.S. Twice Chocosphere (in Oregon) had an order in to their Barry Callebaut provider, and twice it was cancelled. And this was when I was willing to buy an entire case of it. It almost made me get a melanger and make the stuff myself. You are fortunate in living close to L'Epicérie. They don't advertise, as far as I can tell, but they are a wonderful source for small quantities of all sorts of ingredients. Your mention of a raspberry/pistachio combination bonbon sounds similar to what @MikanPotatos described in this thread. I am taking that person's advice and am about to try a black currant/pistachio bonbon.

This is the airport in the Lithuanian capital. It's tiny and looks more like a train station. Nothing that indicates it's an airport. Just got here today. Hit the supermarket straight away to pick up a few things. Californian pistachio packages have security locks on them. "Super bakery". Didn't see any bread from outside, mostly pastries. Catbus stop (?) Tactile pavings are even next to the river so the visually impaired can enjoy walking along the river, too! Went to the oldest brewery for the first and only meal today. It's a rustic building, the restaurant serves some Lithuanian traditional dishes and some newer ones. We went after lunch time to avoid the crowd. Locals started to come in soon after, for beer and snacks. Black beer, lager, and IPA. Guess which is most popular Cold beetroot soup, always comes with potatoes and usually a hard boiled egg, but no egg here. Charcuterie. My favourites are the smoked pig's ear and dried sausage. Matjes with potatoes. Crispy potatoes with mushrooms, Speck and cream. For the cookware enthusiasts It's a porky and potato paradise here. We never pass up an opportunity to indulge in potatoes. Went for a walk during golden hour. So many of these annoying "E-steps" everywhere. Even middle-aged women zip past cars riding these electric bikes standing. It's very warm today, very summery. Many men with fishing rods along the river.

This week's Creami project was Modernist Pantry's dairy free pistachio gelato https://blog.modernistpantry.com/recipes/dairy-free-pistachio-gelato/ My first homemade gelato, and also the first time I've tried the gelato program on the Creami. Served with crystallized dark chocolate crumb ans some store bought preserved cherries. The gelato was great! Perfectly smooth and a wonderful pistachio flavour. For those interested, I used Saracino pistachio paste. Unfortunately, the cherries didn't taste much, so this summer I'll have to try to vacuum ferment some cherries from the trees which have popped up like weeds in my garden... Also tried a portion with roasted white chocolate and dried apricots: This time I also recorded the pre and post spin temperatures. Should have documented it with pictures too, but forgot about that untill the last respin: Pre spin: -20.7°C After 1 gelato cycle: -12.2°C After 1 respin: -8.7°C (probably ok at this stage, but it still looked a bit granular Afrer second respin: -6.6°C This is the first time I've seen something close to the flat surface the Pacojet seems to create, so I'll definitely try a second respin with other recipes as well. As you can see in the first picture, there are some tiny air bubbles incorporated however. This was the first scoop, made without doing anything to the mixture other than a few minutes rest in the freezer to lower/stabilize the temperature a bit. As I've mentioned before, this is my main gripe with the Creami so far. For a hobby cook/amateur like myself, it's not really a problem if the quenelles are a bit inconsistent (they usually are anyway 😋), but I'm curious to know if it's caused by insufficient blade speed, different post spin temperature, if it's over pressure related, or if Ninja has messed up the blade design or spin cycle parameters? I've thought about moving it to a different pint too, but I've been worried about incorporating some of the unprocessed ice crystals around the edges, and it's also somewhat inconvenient to always have empty pre chilled beakers taking up freezer real estate 🤔

What's life without cheese? Cold small potatoes and cured salmon Prawn salad Hungarian "Riesling" Bought 5 small squashes the other day. Only buy small ones now. I steam each whole, then put it on a plate or chopping board and slice like a wedge of cake as part of a meal. One of squashes on the bike. Steamed whole and ready to be sliced. Squash hummus Hummus with mince (spiced with commercial kebab spice mix and Turkish red pepper paste added). Strained yoghurt with passion fruit pulp Now I can get Syrian baklava at the weekly market but it's not this pistachio loaded. I love pistachios so the choice is easy. @Ann_T, thank you! It's super easy! Just make sure you can get Korean black bean paste (really not the same thing as Chinese black bean paste).

Of course it's already sweetened (with caramelized sugar), but it certainly can use some more. To make gianduja, I use milk chocolate (I tried all three, but liked the taste with milk best). I do have a little Valrhona amande chocolate, so could try that. I use almond praline paste in many bonbons I make. One has chopped cherries and caramelized almonds surrounded with almond gianduja. Another is a "marjolaine" (layers of hazelnut ganache, then almond gianduja, which keeps a meringue cookie crisp). My issue with the purchased paste is that it doesn't have a strong almond taste. What I am about to write is an exaggeration, but the paste tastes burnt. The product is 60% almond, whereas what I make is 50%, but that's not a huge difference. At what I paid for the almond plus the pecan paste (that hasn't arrived yet), I could have bought a melanger. I suppose, in the interest of providing relevant information for others, I should add that the brand of these products is Valrhona. Perhaps it is obvious that, given the company's reputation, I assumed all would be delicious. And I hasten to add that many people may find this almond paste to their liking. In answer to the obvious question: there was no way I could request a sample of these items. In the case of a pistachio praline paste (made by Cacao Barry), I could order 1kg and see that I liked it very much.

Many thanks @blue_dolphin and @Shelby for advice with regards making better use of the NC ‘pints’. I will try the plastic bag inside my clean jar this afternoon, I can’t see why that won’t work….. I am in the UK at the moment where Amazon doesn’t own up to having any ‘pints’ to sell me, this was not the case a week ago when I bought the machine so I imagine that they will reappear soon. If I can get away with bags I will do that until I work out how much we will use the NC once the novelty wanes. Frankly it is so quick and the results are so delicious that I don’t imagine it collecting dust anytime soon. Last night we had our first go at adding praline to my basic vanilla gelato as a mix in. Stunningly good result, 1 tablespoon of hazelnut praline paste transformed the already excellent vanilla to another level. Highly recommended, guess a pistachio paste would also be excellent. I seem to recall promising a neighbour pistachio ice-cream a while back but she is yet to provide me with any pistachios and given their cost I’m being mean about donating the nuts. Might just give in, easy enough to make pistachio paste in the Magimix. I made mint and chocolate chip sorbet a while back in our freeze the bucket and churn machine. It tastes delicious but the texture is extremely hard so what is left of that is in the fridge just now so that I can decant it once melted into a ‘pint’ and then let the NC do it’s thing. Guessing that we will lose the texture of the chocolate chips but the taste should still be good. Since Amazon didn’t have any pots for me I have ordered an ice-cream scoop that should arrive this afternoon. Perhaps I might get servings worthy of photos in due course!

Cured salmon Young cheese, trout roe, North Sea shrimps. Smoked Matjes "tartare" Another meal... A "salad" of Cretan cheese, broad beans and tomatoes. Santorini lentil spread Broad beans and octopus with olive oil Ricotta with honey and pistachios The best black olives I've ever tasted. (The package) Fava and tomato paste (on Santorini). 2 recipes on the back of the package. Afterglow with Oia in the distance.