I accidentally became pistachio dessert queen. I love this flavour and baking with it. My Pistachio Cake is my most popular recipe, but I also make Pistachio Cannoli and Cookies. Pistachio dacquoise wins (hehe).
Preheat oven to 465°F / 240°C and line a large baking sheet with parchment. Put two cake rings on parchment paper without greasing. The Equipment section below explains what you can use.
2
Food processors should finely chop pistachios. Sizes vary; buy small. Don't overblitz to avoid pistachio paste. See my ground pistachio photos after viewing their stages. When oil releases moisture, stop making pistachio butter.
3
After grinding the pistachios finely, add the powdered sugar and cake flour and pulse again until combined. The mixture should resemble fine pistachio flour. Set aside.
4
Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, mixing it in for at least a minute between tablespoons. Sugar won't dissolve if added too quickly, leaving a grainy meringue.
5
The meringue should be thick, glossy, and stiff-peaks after adding all the sugar. Soft or grainy meringue needs longer high-speed beating. Well-whipped meringue holds air when folded with pistachio flour.
6
Pour half of the nut mixture into the meringue and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula, avoiding air loss. After adding the remaining pistachio mixture, gently fold it in without knocking out the air.
7
Add half of the nut mixture to the meringue and gently fold with a rubber spatula to avoid air loss. Gently fold in the remaining pistachio mixture without removing air.