Greek Pistachio Brittle Recipes

RICH PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Butter a 15x10x1-in. pan, set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 240° (soft-ball stage). Carefully add butter and pistachios; cook and stir until mixture reaches 284° (soft-crack stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Spread to 1/4-in. thickness. Cool before breaking into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

GREEK PASTITSIO RECIPE (GREEK LASAGNA WITH BéCHAMEL)

Steps:

• To prepare this traditional pastitsio recipe (pastichio), start with the meat sauce. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, the chopped onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and the beef. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes. Pour in the red wine and wait to evaporate. Add the canned tomatoes, the sugar, cinnamon, clove, the bay leaf and season. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated. (After the meat is cooked, discard the bay leaf, the clove and the cinnamon)
• Prepare the bechamel sauce for the pastitsio. Melt the butter in a large pan over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add warmed milk in small batches, whisking continuously in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat whilst continuing to stir. Remove the pan from the stove and add the egg yolks, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and the grated cheese (50g/ 1.7oz.). Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning an omelette! Season with salt to taste.
• Cook the pasta for the pastitsio 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, so that they don't get mushy after turning out of the oven later. Drain the pasta and stir in the egg whites and the feta cheese (smashed with a fork) and mix gently with a spatula.
• For this pastitsio recipe you will need a large baking dish, approx. 25*35 cm / 10*14 inch. Butter the bottom and sides of a pan and assemble the pastitsio. Layer the pasta, top with the meat sauce and even out. Top the pastitsio with the bechamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
• Sprinkle the pastichio with grated cheese and bake in preheated oven at 180C (350F) Fan for about 40 minutes, until crust turns a light golden brown. Let the pastitsio cool down for a while before serving.

PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a piece of foil lightly greased with canola oil spray.
• Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepot fitted with a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil without stirring; cook until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F (the hard-crack stage), 12 to 15 minutes -- the sugar will become deeply caramelized.
• Remove the pot from the heat and carefully add the butter, baking soda, vanilla paste and fennel; the sugar will bubble up and incorporate all the ingredients on its own. With a heatproof rubber spatula, stir in the pistachios and then immediately spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. While the brittle is still hot, zest the orange evenly over the top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Let the brittle cool completely before breaking into small pieces. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, place the brittle in a zip-close bag, remove any excess air, and freeze for up to 1 month.

SALTED PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Spray a small rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
• Combine sugar, honey, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil without stirring, and cook until deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle evenly with pistachios and salt. Let cool completely.
• Break into pieces as desired.

GREEK PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Heat the honey in a medium saucepan to 130C (270F).
• Remove from heat and stir in the pistachios and lavender.
• Spread the pasteli onto a silpat or nonstick parchment. If using parchment, cover with another piece of parchment.
• Using a rolling pin roll out the pasteli to a thin sheet, about 1 cm (1/8 inch) thick.
• Cut into squares or diamonds when cool and keep stored in a cool, dry place.

PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Spray a quarter-sheet tray with cooking spray.
• Combine the baking soda and vanilla paste in a small bowl and reserve.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, syrup, butter and 1 tablespoon water with a wooden spoon. Bring the mixture to 280 degrees F slowly over medium heat. Add the pistachios and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F, or hard-crack. Remove from the heat and carefully add the baking soda and vanilla paste mixture, continuing to stir.
• Carefully turn out onto the greased sheet tray and spread thinly and evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle sea salt flakes over the top. Let cool at room temperature until hardened, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Break into pieces. Eat as-is or with vanilla ice cream. Store any remaining in an airtight container.

PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Place pistachios on baking sheet; bake in 300 degree F oven to keep warm while preparing candy.
• Combine sugar, butter, water and corn syrup in saucepan.
• Cook, without stirring, to soft crack stage (275 degrees F) on candy thermometer.
• Add lemon extract and pistachios.
• Pour onto foil lined baking sheet.
• Cool.
• Break into serving-size pieces.
• Makes approximately 36 pieces.

YOGURT WITH PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Lightly coat an 8" square baking dish with cooking spray. In a small saucepan, cook sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until sugar melts and turns lightly golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and add nuts, stirring quickly to combine. Immediately pour brittle into baking dish; spread evenly into a 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick layer and sprinkle with salt. Use a sharp knife to score the brittle into 8 wedges. Let cool completely. Remove brittle from pan and break into wedges. Chop wedges into small pieces. Divide yogurt, honey, apricots and brittle among 8 bowls.

PISTACHIO BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray.
• Combine 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, water, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until butter has melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add syrup and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and melted, about 5 minutes.
• Allow mixture to come to a boil, stirring constantly. Once mixture reaches 310 degrees F (155 degrees C), remove saucepan from heat. Stir in pistachios, baking soda, and cayenne (mixture will foam).
• Stir until mixture is no longer bubbling and caramel is smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread out with a lightly greased spatula. Let cool until firm, about 15 minutes. Break into pieces.