Deux Shortbread

“Pistachio nuts, the red ones, cure any problem.”

Paula Danziger, American author

 I am in a pistachio state of mind. I finally broke open my Bronte Pistachio Cream for my pistachio cremeux for my entremet, and  I "can't get it out of my head", or  my mouth .

When I want to eat pistachio I want the real deal. Not a few scraps of nuts scattered about. Like in this pistachio cream, or in pistachio ice cream. It gives you a glorious mouth feel, with a burst of flavor ( how cliche) 

 They make a killer soft serve pistachio ice cream at a small shop Saratoga Springs , New York 

Humpty Dumpty 

I LOVE THIS PLACE!  I first went there in college , thanks to my dear friend, Dawn .

I wanted to make a cookie, so intensely pistachio flavored, just like the ice cream at Humpty Dumpty.

I adapted this shortbread recipe. I also wanted something easy. A macaron, and butter cream etc.. was too much work .... They are perfect. A bold pistachio flavor thanks to the nuts, paste and extracts....

Pistachio Shortbread ( left )

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup  pistachio cream  http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=P-PCH  ( i love Bronte's)
• Pinch salt
• 1-1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups unbleached pastry flour or (1 1/3 cup AP flour and 2/3 cup cake flour)
  
• 1/2 cup toasted pistachio  chopped or ground
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream the butter with the pistachio cream 

Add the brown sugar . Blend until smooth.

Sift salt and flour together  Sprinkle  flour/salt into cream mixture, blending well.

Mix in the chopped pistachios.  The dough will be very stiff. Lightly butter two 7-inch pie plates or shallow baking pans. Parchment the bottoms.  Press the dough to evenly cover the bottom and sides of the pie plates to a thickness of no more than 1/4 inch.

Turn out the shortbread onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Score the shortbread into wedges, but to not cut all the way through.   Bamboo skewer the decorative holes.

Bake the shortbread for  10- 15 minutes and then check it frequently, every couple of minutes, and remove it from the oven as soon as the edges are golden brown. Be careful not to overbake it.

While it is still warm, cut through  each shortbread into 8 or 10 wedges in the pan; do not wait until it is cool or it will crumble.

Yield: 16 to 20 wedges
  

Adapted from : Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by Moosewood Collective (Simon & Schuster)

 pistachio shortbread

    

Here is the original recipe.I also made these with the tahini. They tasted ..somewhat strange. I do not know if I am a huge fan . Maybe with some green tea?..or maybe it's the pecans?

Halva shortbread

Halva Shortbread ( right)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup tahini
• Pinch salt
• 1-1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups unbleached pastry flour or (1 1/3 cup AP flour and 2/3 cup cake flour)
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped or ground
• A few pecan or walnut halves ( I used pecans)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

With a food processor or by hand, cream the butter with the tahini. Add the salt and brown sugar. Blend until smooth.

Sprinkle in the flour, blending well. Mix in the chopped pecans or walnuts. The dough will be very stiff. Lightly butter two 7-inch pie plates or shallow baking pans. Press the dough to evenly cover the bottom and sides of the pie plates to a thickness of no more than 1/4 inch.

Bake the shortbread for 15 minutes and then check it frequently, every couple of minutes, and remove it from the oven as soon as the edges are golden brown. Be careful not to overbake it.

While it is still warm, cut each shortbread into 8 or 10 wedges in the pan; do not wait until it is cool or it will crumble.

Yield: 16 to 20 wedges

Recipe Source: Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by Moosewood Collective (Simon & Schuster)

I also made my own brown sugar for this pistachio recipe. I do not know why I have not made it before.  It is soo simple, and better than a box from the store .

Brown Sugar Recipe

Brown sugar is simply a less-refined stage of ordinary granulated sugar, and molasses is a byproduct of the refinement process. To make brown sugar, it's just a matter of adding the molasses back into the granulated sugar — sort of like refining it in reverse.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp molasses

Preparation:

1. Combine the sugar and molasses in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.
2. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 1 cup brown sugar.