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Pistachio Puddings with Macerated Strawberries

DFGF

Pistachio Puddings with Macerated Strawberries

These colorful pistachio puddings tick all the boxes: nutty, creamy, juicy, crunchy, and sweet—but not overly so. A crowd-pleasing dessert!

Pistachio Pudding with Macerated Strawberries // FoodNouveau.com

This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure is at the bottom of the article.


I’ve had a major crush on pistachios ever since I came back from Sicily. As the only region cultivating the nut in Italy, Sicily is especially proud of its “green gold,” serving them in both sweet and savory dishes. I was fascinated by the use of pistachios in pasta dishes, where they were often paired with seafood. Before I tasted it, I would never have imagined that this match would work.

Of course, I also enjoyed countless sweets in which pistachios were the star (cannoli and gelato come to mind), so I came back home determined to use them more often in my everyday cooking. When I recently had to create a dessert using seasonal strawberries, it was obvious to me that pistachios would also play a role—I had the creamy, subtle, distinctive taste of the pistachio gelato brioche I had at Catania’s Nonna Vincenza pastry shop in mind. If I could turn pistachios into a cream, surely they would be the perfect support for super sweet, juicy, slightly zingy summer strawberries, right?

Pistachio Pudding with Macerated Strawberries // FoodNouveau.com

These pistachio puddings with macerated strawberries are spectacular. The strawberries, which I simply macerated in vanilla sugar, shine bright, and the pistachio cream creates a rich, velvety vehicle with an intriguing, slightly toasted flavor. Of course, the rich crumbs don’t hurt either, adding a fabulous buttery crunch to the mix.

These pistachio puddings ticks all the boxes: juicy, nutty, creamy, crunchy, and sweet—but not overly so. That’s a winning summer dessert in my book!

Pistachio Pudding with Macerated Strawberries // FoodNouveau.com

Helpful Tips for Making Pistachio Puddings with Macerated Strawberries

  • Macerate last: It’s better to macerate the strawberries shortly before serving the pistachio puddings. The more the strawberries macerate, the softer they become, and in this recipe, it’s best if the strawberries remain firm and juicy.
  • …And keep things crunchy: Similarly, it’s better to add the pistachio crumb garnish right before serving to make sure they’ll remain delightfully crunchy (the pistachio crumbs will soften as they absorb the strawberry juices).
  • But make the pistachio puddings ahead: The bulk of this dessert—the pistachio puddings—can be made in advance, so make the most of it! You can refrigerate the pistachio puddings straight in their serving glasses for up to 5 days before serving. Simply make sure to cover the puddings with plastic wrap so the top doesn’t dry up.
  • …And the pistachio crumbs too: The pistachio crumbs can also be made up to 5 days before serving. After baking, let them cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. But make sure to keep them safe and hidden because they can become a dangerously addictive snack!

Pistachio Pudding with Macerated Strawberries // FoodNouveau.com

 
Pistachio Pudding with Macerated Strawberries // FoodNouveau.com

Pistachio Pudding with Macerated Strawberries

These colorful pistachio puddings tick all the boxes: nutty, creamy, juicy, crunchy, and sweet—but not overly so. A crowd-pleasing dessert!
Prep Time:1 hour
Cook Time:15 minutes
Cooling time:2 hours
Servings 6 servings
Author Marie Asselin, FoodNouveau.com

Ingredients

For the pistachio paste

For the pistachio cream

For the macerated strawberries

For the pistachio crumble

Instructions

  • To make the pistachio paste: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the shelled pistachios and simmer 2 minutes. Drain andrinse the nuts under cold water to cool them completely. Dry the nuts with paper towels when put them in a large measuring cup. Add the sugar and milk and use a hand blender to process the mixture to a super smooth consistency. (You can also do this in a food processor, but the texture of the pistachio paste may not become as smooth as if you used a hand blender. This will in no way prevent the dessert from being totally delicious!)
  • To make the pistachio cream: Pour the milk in a medium saucepan, add the pistachio paste, and heat until the mixture simmers—don’t bring it to a full boil. While the milk mixture is heating up, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a mixing bowl. The mixture will be thick but make sure to whisk until it’s smooth.
  • When the milk and pistachio mixture simmers, remove it from the heat. Ladle about ½ cup (125 ml) hot milk and pistachio mixture and slowly pour it into the egg mixture while whisking. This will ensure the eggs heat up gradually and don’t cook and turn grainy. Whisk in another ladleful of hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan containing the rest of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly while you pour. Put the saucepan back over low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens to a pudding consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • Divide the pistachio pudding between 6 small glasses or ramekins. Each glass should be filled up to a generous third to leave room for the strawberries and pistachio crumble toppings. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cream is completely cool, about 2 hours.
  • To make the pistachio crumble: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and pistachios together. Add the cold butter and incorporate it to the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands, until the mixture turns to sticky pea-sized crumbs. Spread the mixture over the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until the crumbs are golden (mixing the crumbs halfway through baking allows them to brown more evenly). Let cool completely.
  • To make the macerated strawberries: Up to an hour before serving the pistachio puddings, in a nonreactive mixing bowl, combine the vanilla seeds, paste, or extract with the sugar. Quarter or dice the strawberries (depending on their size) and add them to the bowl. Gently toss to coat the strawberries with the vanilla sugar and leave to macerate at room temperature until ready to serve. It’s best to macerate the strawberries for a minimum of 15 minutes, and up to a maximum of 60 minutes.The longer the strawberries macerate, the softer and mushier they will become, and in this recipe, it’s best if the strawberries remain firm and juicy.
  • SERVING: Bring the puddings back to room temperature 15 to 60 minutes before serving. Divide the macerated strawberries between each serving. Generously sprinkle with pistachio crumbs. Serve right away!
  • STORAGE: The pistachio puddings will keep, refrigerated, for up to 5 days. Always make sure to add the macerated strawberries and pistachio crumbs right before serving.
  • NOTE: Pistachios sold in their shells must be, of course, shelled, but also peeled before being used to make pistachio cream because the brownish skin that covers the nuts would alter both the color and texture of the cream. To peel the pistachios, simmer, rinse and dry as described in the recipe, then remove the skin by pinching each nut each between your fingers. You be left with gorgeous, bright green pistachio nuts. Use them as indicated in the recipe. (Discard the skins.)
  • MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: Substitute unsweetened oat milk or almond milk in both the pistachio paste and pistachio cream. Use vegan butter or magarine in the pistachio crumble.
  • MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour mix in the pistachio crumble.

Did you make this?

Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.

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If you click on an affiliate link, I may earn advertising or referral fees if you make a purchase through such links, at no extra cost to you. This helps me creating new content for the blog–so thank you! Learn more about advertising on this site by reading my Disclosure Policy.

Author: Marie Asselin

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cooling time: 2 hours

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  1. 5 stars
    Me and my fam love pudding, no matter what flavor. My kiddos loved this, and kept asking for more! I’m making this again soon!

  2. 5 stars
    wow, first of all, the presentation of these pistachio puddings look super cute and just adorable! The vibrant colours are really convincing me to make these and I am really craving one of these right now! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I cant wait to try these out!

  3. 5 stars
    Oh wow, these look absolutely amazing! The perfect dessert to make on one of these summer weekends! :-)

  4. I’m a little obsessed with pistachios as well! I will eat them in any form, especially dessert form! You cannot go wrong with this recipe!

  5. These are perfect for a light summer dessert. Also going to make extra pistachio crumble for my frozen yogurt! Thank you for the recipe!

  6. 5 stars
    Delicious, I have never thought about making a pistachio pudding. My son is a pistachio lover and I it’s not easy to find flavorful pistachio recipes. Definitely going to give this a go, thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂