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Following the discussion about the Dubai Bar with interest. Tasted this for the first time at the Dallas Chocolate Festival in September at Kate Weiser’s booth. Just had a customer a couple weeks ago request that I make it and justust started looking into how to make it. I see some people online are using pistachio butter/paste (pistachios ground into a paste) some are using pistachio cream (which appears to be a sweetened butter/paste). @RWood I see you’re buying pistachio paste. Is that pistachio paste just unsweetened ground pistachios? Anyone using pistachio cream? Is anyone making their own ground pistachio butter/paste? @Jim D. you said the Dubai bar is essentially a gianduja. Are you mixing the pistachio paste with chocolate?

On another forum someone posted that she had bought a Dubai bar (the filling with pistachio paste, tahini, kataifi) from Fix Dessert Chocolatier, the company in Dubai that originated the bar. She said that the Fix bar does not contain any chocolate, with the result that the pistachio taste is more assertive. And that is how she now makes her Dubai bars. I hadn't thought of that option, but it is intriguing. Since some pistachio pastes tend to be more fluid than others, my concern is that the filling would make a mess when eaten. In my version I use some plain pistachio paste and some pistachio praline paste (with caramel). Is there any reason why there must be chocolate in this filling? A concern might be fat migration, but in a version with chocolate, there is plenty of other fat besides the cocoa butter found in the chocolate. Some plain cocoa butter might make it hold together better, as would extra kataifi. I also use feuilletine in mine (very unorthodox, but it adds more crunch and a caramel taste), which also thickens the filling.

Did you make your own pistachio paste? Which pistachio paste did you use?

Good idea about reducing the sweetness. I use pistachio praline paste plus plain pistachio paste (no sugar) to reach that goal.

I purchased pistachio butter from Fiddyment Farms. It is simply ground pistachios, no sugar added. I put it in my melanger and added some ground up hard caramel to make pistachio praline paste, which (I think) adds a lot of flavor to the pistachios. But to cut the sweetness I also include plain pistachio paste from Sicily. I know this all sounds counter-intuitive, but the Siciian paste has a wonderful flavor, and I do want the caramelization taste as well. And yes, I add white chocolate, making a gianduja. If you add any water (making a ganache), the general principle is that anything crunchy will (eventually) get soft. And since the whole point of the Dubai bar is crunchiness, I want to preserve the texture of the kataifi (for more crunchiness I also add some crushed feuilletine, plus some chopped pistachios). I don't add a lot of chocolate because I want to preserve the fluid texture that the Dubai bar seems to have.

Happy to share! I studied the ideas posted here about making this filling. Then I went online to see what I could learn there. I distilled it down to four different recipes plus the suggestions about caramelized sugar, white chocolate and the thoughts on pistachio paste vs butter. I found a couple middle eastern stores where I could buy kataifi - much cheaper than Amazon and close. I chopped the kataifi into pretty small pieces and toasted them in ghee. One of the stores had pistachio paste. Ingredient list taught me that it was 30% pistachios plus milk powder, sugar, vegetable oils, vanilla and soy lecithin. I decided I'd rather use 100% pistachio butter and add my own additions. I bought my pistachio butter from Fiddyment Farms as @Jim D. recommended. I combined my pistachio butter with pulverized caramelized sugar and tahini. I liked the idea of adding chocolate for flavor and body. It also mimics the pistachio paste - adding oil, sugar and milk powder but where I control ratios myself. I thought white chocolate would be too sweet so used Callebaut Gold chocolate. I combined the pistachio butter mix with the melted gold chocolate. Added toasted kataifi and a touch of silk from my EZ Temper at proper temp. Then piped into my dome molds. Piping was easier than I expected. I cut the opening about 1 cm, then used one hand to open and close the bag filling the cavity. The first attempt was good, but second attempt was better with more pistachio, less chocolate.

Today, I’m being happy. I’m looking at 开心果 (kāi xīn guǒ), literally ’happy nut’, Pistacia vera, pistachio nuts. Native to Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia, this is another drupe seed, rather than a true nut. Pistachios are members of the cashew family which also contains mangos. They were introduced across Europe by the Romans throughout their empire. In the 19th century low yielding varieties were introduced from Europe to the USA. The United States Department of Agriculture later introduced hardier cultivars to California collected from China and commercial production began in 1929 and now the USA is the world’s top producer, followed by Iran. Ironically, a good proportion of the pistachios sold in China, today are from the USA, presumably grown on those trees and their descendents. Very limited numbers are grown in China. 82,000 tonnes in 2022 compared to the USA with 400,000 tonnes - still enough to make China the fourth largest. American Pistachios As with cashews above, they are mostly eaten as a snack; as an ingredient they are used in hideously garish coloured cakes, for which they are sold as pistachio paste. Pistachio Cake - Helena is a large bakery chain. I’ve also seen pistachio bao buns. No thanks. Pistachio Buns The are used in pistachio ice cream and I’ve seen pistachio milk tea on offer. I can find no evidence of use in Chinese savoury dishes though There are a few recipes for stir-fries using pistachios, but they are all North American. Cake and bun images from Meituan shopping app.

I should probably edit my post, mine was actually a cream (I'll add a photo). I had a jar of sweetened pistachio paste, it wasn't as smooth, and I think it's better added to buttercream than as the base for the bar. I've read some places people have made a gianduju for it, but that doesn't look like the texture I see in photos. Usually they look runny, and I haven't seen a recipe that includes chocolate. The ones I've seen are pistachio cream, tahini, butter and kataifi.

Thanks for that info @Jim D.. I don't have a melanger, but I suppose if the hard carmel still has some small bits in it, they'll get lost in the crunch of the filling anyway. I'll have to get some ingredients and start experiments. Hoping to have some ready by the end of January. I have a couple local middle eastern markets so I'll see if they have any kataifi there and maybe they'll have some Sicilian pistachio paste as well. If not, Amazon seems to sell a popular brand. Thanks for the suggestions for the California pistachio butter. I'm also looking to make bon bons, not bars.

I think in my case, it helped tone down the sweetness. I used a 7oz jar of Italian pistachio paste that was the best of the three types I had. But, it was sweet, and after I stirred in 2 TBS of tahini, it was better. I can't say I really tasted tahini, but it seemed to help balance it. I had an open jar of Trader Joe's tahini.

A friend gives me mooncakes every year because she and her family don't like them. I give her mooncakes to someone else because I don't like them either. This year I decided to make my own with my own recipe. Not bad results. Main idea was to use pistachio nut paste instead of lotus seed paste. The pictures show progress of my skill in the making. the 3rd and 4th one look like mooncakes. dcarch

Thanks for pointing out that pistachio paste available on Amazon. I just noticed that my source, L'Epicérie, has it only on special order (I guess the price scared customers off--though it is a bit lower than the item on Amazon). I also make Dubai bonbons, although (as I have stated elsewhere) filling the cavities is a real pain--I put foil over all the cavities except the row I'm working on so as to limit the mess. But I don't want to reduce the crunch, which is what it would take to get the filling out of a pastry bag or (the otherwise indispensable) confectionery funnel.

I'm very sorry to have missed your question. I have this model (the stainless steel holders are great). I don't use mine all that often, but when I do, it does a fantastic job. I have made pistachio praline paste, almond praline paste, cashew praline paste, and a few others, the most unusual being "Orelys" blond chocolate. I use quotes because quite suddenly Valrhona quit making its Orelys chocolate. I have several recipes (many involving pecans) that really depended on it. Thanks to @pastrygirl's ingenuity in figuring out the proportions of ingredients and her generosity in sharing her recipe, I was able to make a remarkably close clone of Orelys. The ultimate test: yes, I would buy it again.

She's the daughter of Rodney's friends who own a gelato ingredient supply company with products imported from Italy - they provided us with some lovely nut pastes (particularly Sicilian pistachio) to play with. It was a delight to see Rodney interact with her.

A Roman style tart that was so good! A thin, flaky crust filled with homemade Rhubarb Amarena jam , ricotta with vanilla/almond extracts, pistachios, an almond paste streusel topping. This is a combination of several recipes, I frequently make Rachel Roddy’s version but this is an excellent variation.

Lunch today was a salad of FM greens, lightly cooked sugar snaps, tomatoes with a blackberry vinaigrette. Steamed Swiss chard stems with chervil and an organic grilled chicken breast. We had a slice of a delicious Roman tart, flaky crust, Rhubarb Amarena homemade jam, ricotta , pistachios and an almond paste streusel.

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)

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

Hi Everyone, First time posting...I don't know how long these threads stay active, but I hope someone reads my cry for help. I'm on my 6th batch of a raspberry pistachio nougat and I'm continually having problems with it weeping once cut. My recipe temperatures are: honey to 130ºC sugar/glucose to 150ºC add cocoa butter melted to 45ºC I have triple checked my thermometer. I use the same thermometer to make a chocolate nougat and a hazelnut nougat (with praline paste) and do not have any problems with those. I temp the entire pot and am confident the whole pot has reached the desired temp. I've experimented with cooking each syrup up to 5º higher. I've torched the bowl after adding each syrup to further dry out the meringue - the resulting nougat was much stiffer than other batches/firmer to cut/chewier texture, but still wept out of shape 12 hours after cutting. My only remaining hypothesis is that I need to whip the nougat longer to a cooler temp. That the cocoa butter is what allows the nougat to hold its shape and, in a sense, I need to pre-crystallize it before taking it out of the mixer. Is that the right theory? I usually end up scraping it out when the motor on my kitchen aid sounds as if it's about to give up and die. I'm not sure it has the power to mix it any longer. Maybe I should let the sugar syrups cool to a lower temp before adding to the meringue so the temperature has less far to drop? I last made this nougat (with peanuts) a few years ago and didn't have this problem. I'm now working in a different kitchen. The only ingredient difference is that I'm using a locally produced farm honey instead of a commercially purchased one. I am skeptical that's a problem. And I previously only made the nougat in the fall/winter. But nougat should be stable at 70/73ºF, right? I am open to any and all ideas. I've looked through Greweling's book and didn't find any additional ideas. Are there any other good (non-chocolate) confection books out there? Nougat next day after cutting IMG_4036.HEIC.pdf Same nougat on day one, along with the chocolate and hazelnut which both keep their shape IMG_3219.HEIC.pdf

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.

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.

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?

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.