L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano Pistachio tiramisù, topped with crushed pistachios and cocoa powder © | Dreamstime.com LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES MICHELE BECCI Continued to page 30 A delicious taste of Sicily: heavenly pistachio cream A friend recently brought me the pre- cious gift of a jar of Sicilian pistachio cream made from the pistachios of Bronte. Almost as soon as she was out the door, I had a spoon at the ready to taste this really special treat. In Sicily, we would slather this nutty cream on slices of bread or buy pastries filled with its delicious goodness. The famous Bronte nuts, known as "green gold," are grown on the flanks of Mount Etna and are a more vibrant green and plumper than pistachios we find here in the United States. Their taste is of the sun – an intense nutty, mineral fla- vor that pairs well with both sweet and savory. After much deliberation, I de- cided to use my special treat to make a pistachio tiramisu for a dinner party. The pistachio cream adds wonderful flavor to this clas- sic Italian dessert. I used a cognac in place of the more classic Amaretto and dusted the top with a sprinkle of dark cocoa. The re- sult was a very special dessert that will leave your dinner guests feel- ing pampered. Below I have also included another favorite way to use pistachio cream – as a filling for simple vanilla cookies that al- low the flavor of the pistachio to shine through. The cost of pistachio cream from Bronte can be a bit high (only 1% of the world's production comes from Bronte) but this deca- dent splurge is worth its price tag. You will forever cherish this little jar of "green gold!" Buon appetito, Michele Pistachio tiramisù Makes 4 servings •4 egg yolks •4 tablespoons sugar •1 ½ cups mascarpone cheese •3 tablespoons pistachio cream •1 cup heavy whipping cream •Lady fingers •Cognac •Crushed pistachios •Dark cocoa powder Directions: Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until thick and light yellow, about 3 minutes. Add in the mascarpone and pista- chio cream until just combined. (NOTE: The eggs are not cooked in this recipe, which may be of a concern. If so, whisk the yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler until light and thermometer reads 170 degrees F). In another large bowl, beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cream into the pistachio mixture until incorporated. Pour about ½ cup Cognac into a shallow bowl. Dip 1 ladyfinger into the Cognac, soaking it for a few seconds on each side. Arrange the ladyfingers in an 8-inch glass baking dish or 4 individual serving dishes. Repeat until the bottom of the dish or the bottoms of the in- dividual dishes are covered, trim- ming the ladyfingers so they fit snugly. Spread about 1/3 of the pistachio custard mixture over the ladyfingers and sprinkle with pis- tachios. Repeat with another layer ladyfingers, custard and pistachios. The best variety of pistachios are those from Bronte, in Sicily © | Dreamstime.com

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