Pistachio paste

[Saltychoc]

Staff note: this post has been moved from Chestnut Sweets and Desserts.

 

On 10/31/2022 at 1:34 PM, Jim D. said:

 

I tried two chestnut purées:  The most commonly available one, Clément Faugier, had (to my palate) virtually no taste.  The second one, which I found at L'Epicerie, was Corsiglia and was sweetened a little and much more "chestnutty."  So I started with the butter ganache recipe from Wybauw, and, as might have been anticipated, the milk chocolate he recommended completely covered up any chestnut taste.  Same was true with dark.  So I switched to white chocolate (Opalys) and got a little chestnut taste.  I kept replacing the chocolate with cocoa butter until I had an acceptable flavor, but too much cocoa butter and the texture suffered.  So I was at the point of completely abandoning this idea but found one more possibility:  L'Epicerie carries a chestnut "aroma" from France, and I plan to order that.  I have tried other aromas from the same company, and many of them are really good (apple, apricot, mango, pear).

 

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.

[Jim D.]

18 hours ago, Saltychoc said:

 

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.

 

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.

[Saltychoc]

On 12/6/2022 at 5:00 PM, Jim D. said:

 

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.

 

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.

[Jim D.]

2 hours ago, Saltychoc said:

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.

 

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.

[Katie Meadow]

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.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Katie Meadow (log)

[Kerry Beal]

24 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

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.

https://legourmetcentral.com/vincente-sicilian-cream-of-pistachio-spread/

[Katie Meadow]

14 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

https://legourmetcentral.com/vincente-sicilian-cream-of-pistachio-spread/

Thanks! That' operation is my idea of a dangerous sinkhole.