Pistachios

[Macarons&Mozart]

I have noticed that wherever I see pistachios, in-shell or peeled, roasted or raw, they are not as nice and green as the ones I see in patisseries. The ones available to me are a dull brownish-green color. Is there a "patisserie-grade pistachio" that is not available to the home baker? Where can I find these pretty green pistachios?

Sorry if I was not clear enough. If you need me to elaborate, please say so.

Thanks!

Edited July 19, 2005 by Macarons&Mozart (log)

[LCS]

I've never noticed this before so I went to look at the ones in my dry storage. They look bright green to me, but with some brown patches here and there which look like left over skin stuck on. I buy them from Indian grocery stores in the pre-packaged bulk section. The one I go to charges $4.50/pound, though if you bought it in larger quantities, I'm sure they'd cut you a deal.

[CanadianBakin']

They look bright green to me, but with some brown patches here and there which look like left over skin stuck on.

Is this what you mean by "dull brownish-green colour"? If it is, cooksillustrated.com has instructions on getting rid of the extra skin which involves blanching. If you're interested, I can look up the instructions.

[Macarons&Mozart]

Thanks to both of your responses! I would like to add that the pistachios I see mostly in French pastry shops are a very rich (almost suspiciously) dark green. Maybe they were colored. The ones I have are yellowish-green.

[Wendy DeBord]

Perhaps this thread will be helpful for you, look here.

We also have it linked in Pastry & Baking on this thread.

[CanadianBakin']

As requested, here's what cooks illustrated suggests. (In my words, of course)Hope this helps. :)

Boil pistachios in a large pot of rapidly boiling water for about 3 minutes or until the skins start to loosen. Drain and dump into a bowl of cold water. After they've cooled a bit, remove the skins and lay the nuts out on a sheet pan lined with paper towel. Dry them completely on a sheet pan at 200F for 45 - 60 minutes. Remove before you can smell them begin to toast. You don't want them to take on any colour.

And that's it. I think this is how you'd get green pistachio macarons rather than brownish ones. I'm going to try it one day but it looks a bit time consuming.

[David Lebovitz]

The super-green pistachios are Italian pistachios from Sicily. Since the Iranian embargo many years ago, lots of pistachios were planted in California, which is why they're so available (and inexpensive.)

Even peeled, they don't have the intensity of color found in the Sicilian variety.

[ohmyganache]

We have two different grades of pistachio at work. The dull, California pistachio, which tastes good and is used as an ingredient in items. And we get Iranian pistachios, which are much smaller, much much more expensive, and are a beautiful dark green.

I don't know if you can purchase those out in the civilian world, I've never seen them. We get them from one of our pastry purveyors...

[achevres]

Here are several kinds of pistachios, including Sicilian and Iranian, from a reputable store:

Kalustyans

[Woods]

I have noticed that wherever I see pistachios, in-shell or peeled, roasted or raw, they are not as nice and green as the ones I see in patisseries. The ones available to me are a dull brownish-green color. Is there a "patisserie-grade pistachio" that is not available to the home baker? Where can I find these pretty green pistachios?

Sorry if I was not clear enough. If you need me to elaborate, please say so.

Thanks!

←

You can get the Sicilian pistachios from Albert Uster Imports (auiswiss.com) but they are pohibitively expensive for home use.

Woods

[ivan]

One thing you can do if your pistachios are an unsightly blemishy brown is dye them a bright red.

[Macarons&Mozart]

Sicilian Pistachios!! Thats it!! Thanks alot