466991 Thu Dec 06 09:47:43 -0800 2007 16 31 Home Cooking 0 3184863 I have some shelled and roasted pistachios in the freezer. I'd like to use them as an appetizer next Saturday. They would be good to nibble on with drinks before dinner. Can anyone suggest a recipe? I can do either sweet or savory. Thanks Thu Dec 06 09:47:43 -0800 2007 11227 nissenpa 1 3186287 I am very fond of blue cheese , honey and roasted pistachios. Make a cheese plate. Or you could put it on crostini. Thu Dec 06 16:38:02 -0800 2007 3184863 71407 Homero 2 3187188 That's a great idea--thank you. Fri Dec 07 04:20:55 -0800 2007 3186287 11227 nissenpa 1 3190192 If you want to go the sweet route, there was a recipe in MSLiving last month for Pistachio Praline Bars. I haven't tried it yet, but am planning to make it this weekend. Here's a paraphrase: 2 c granulated sugar 1/4 c water 2 c chopped raw pistachios (oh, wait, you have roasted, don't you?) 1/2 t coarse salt Coat 13x9 pan with oil then line with parchment, with some overhang for easy removal. Boil sugar and water over med-hi heat 10-12 minutes until medium amber. Remove from heat and stir in pistachios and salt. Pour onto baking sheet and spread to even thickness. Cool until set but soft (2 minutes or so) then remove (using parchment overhang) to a cutting board and cut into bars. It seems like the roasted pistachios might be even better than raw pistachios in this recipe. If I end up making these this weekend I will report back. The idea above sounds really good, too. Sat Dec 08 06:54:35 -0800 2007 3184863 34183 kkbriggs 2 3193156 Update: I made these yesterday afternoon and they are DELICIOUS and were very quick to make (start to finish was about 15 minutes). Not overly sweet, either. I think they'd work well with roasted/salted pistachios, or with other nuts like cashews. If you want to cut them in bars, you definitely need to do it before they cool - otherwise they'll just shatter, not slice. Sun Dec 09 14:32:57 -0800 2007 3190192 34183 kkbriggs 2 3223685 I've tried this recipe twice today. First time I was carefully watching, swiriling and watering down the sides and waiting for the sugar mixture to turn "light amber". The whole pot crystlized and I was left with a pot of concrete sugar chunks. I tried again more slowly and revised my perception of "light amber". When I added the pistachios and salt it left me with a crumbly pile (still tasty tho....) What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance! Wed Dec 19 18:09:54 -0800 2007 3190192 151239 mkarp1 3 3225007 I'm no candy expert, so I'm not positive about this, but I think temperature and exact measurements are important. The "light amber" I took it to was about the color of good honey. Sorry I'm not more help - maybe a candy expert can weigh in here! Thu Dec 20 08:11:10 -0800 2007 3223685 34183 kkbriggs 3 3225251 You should have a digital thermo for the greatest accuracy, but a bulb thermo will still be better then eyeballing the temp. The addition of 2 Tbs of corn syrup will prevent the crystallization problem. Thu Dec 20 09:08:29 -0800 2007 3223685 22220 Kelli2006 2 3243609 I made these praline bars, using roasted lightly salted nuts, that I had to shell first, but hubby did that for me <smile>, and they were wonderful!! More like a peanut brittle, only better. I will make this again Fri Dec 28 15:49:33 -0800 2007 3190192 153084 pohpoh 3 3244049 Yeah, this one definitely made my short list of cookies to make next Christmas. I might even make it at other times! Yum. Fri Dec 28 19:27:48 -0800 2007 3243609 34183 kkbriggs 1 3193202 Baklava made with pistachios is a natural. Replace the walnuts with chopped and toasted pistachios and proceed as usual. Sun Dec 09 15:03:20 -0800 2007 3184863 22220 Kelli2006 2 3193436 I have found that pistachios and sherry are one of the most magical food/wine pairings. Serve the nuts gently warmed and buy the best dry sherry (spanish only) you can afford. My favorite aperitif. Sun Dec 09 16:48:09 -0800 2007 3193202 55556 gargantua 1 3193920 I made pistachio brittle a few christmases ago that was a big hit. It's very pretty as its a transparent brittle. Here's the recipe I used: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/102704 Sun Dec 09 20:18:52 -0800 2007 3184863 16406 ziggylu 1 3193942 General cooking warning == they seem to turn black? We are used to cooking with many other nuts/seeds (pine, sesame, hazel, pumpkin, almond) but were side swipped when we tried pistachios. They turned the fry pan black. Other nuty we roasted before tossing them in and life was fine. Several time we tried cooking pistachios as an ingredient and they just went black. Made the meal very un appealling. Maybe we did something wrong? The recipes did not want us to roast / cook separately. Now I am a little gun shy. Sun Dec 09 20:29:30 -0800 2007 3184863 114182 dancingTimmy 2 3194081 Yeah, mine tend to do that too. I found that using a heavy baking sheet at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes gets a good roasted flavor with minimal to no blackness. YMMV Sun Dec 09 21:55:12 -0800 2007 3193942 71407 Homero 1 3226079 Giada (sp?) did something very interesting with baked chick peas, whole blanched almonds and pistachios...I think it was some sort of cocktail nibbly. Thu Dec 20 12:53:27 -0800 2007 3184863 18755 howboy 1 3244450 ground pistachios are a nice alternative to breadcrumbs. You can make interesting cheese stixs coated and quick fried. Semi-soft cheese sliced lengthwise work best. Sat Dec 29 05:07:58 -0800 2007 3184863 36312 HillJ