Wonderful Pistachios

Just when you thought you couldn’t get enough St. Patrick’s Day dessert recipes, here’s one more: the official Wonderful Pistachios pudding recipe created by our favorite food blogger, Nicole Presley of Presley’s Pantry. What better way to celebrate St. Paddy’s day than with a green, semi-gelatinous dessert? Oh come on, who doesn’t love pistachio pudding?!

Ingredients:

1/2 – cup unsalted Wonderful Pistachios (shelled)
1/2 – cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 – tablespoons water
5 1/2 – tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 – cup sugar
2 – cups whole milk
pinch of salt
2 – egg yolks
1 – cup half and half
1/4 – teaspoon almond extract
1/2 – teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – tablespoon unsalted butter
a touch of green food coloring (to your color preference)

Directions:

In a food processor fitted with a blade, add pistachios and pulse until pistachios are almost powder form. Then add in the confectioners sugar and pulse until well combined. Lastly, add in water and pulse. You will look for a mixture that resembles a thick paste. Remove from food processor and set to the side.

In a large bowl add cornstarch, sugar, milk, pinch of salt, and egg yolks.  Whisk together until well combined. Set to the side.

In a large sauce pan over a medium flame pour in half and half and pistachio paste and immediately start to whisk. Whisk until the paste is completely incorporated into the half and half. Then take 1/2 cup of the mixture and pour it into the milk cornstarch mixture to temper the eggs yolks. Give it a good swirl, then pour the entire milk cornstarch mixture back into the saucepan. From this point forward you will be whisking constantly. Whisk until mixture boils/thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This will take about 7 to 9 minutes.

Once the pudding is nice and thick, remove from flame and add almond extract, vanilla extract, butter, and a touch of green food coloring. Mix well. Then pour the entire content through a strainer/sieve into a big bowl or individual serving bowls. Cover with plastic wrap by placing plastic wrap directly on top of pudding. This will prevent pudding from forming an unwanted skin.

Refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and pieces of pistachios sprinkled on top.

More about the creator of this recipe…

I am a culinary enthusiast who lives to cook, eat, breathe and talk food. I write an original recipe food blog called Presley’s Pantry, and co- write a breakfast blog with my partner Ericka Sanchez called The 2 Good Eggs from my home in East Los Angeles. Apart from working on my blogs everyday, I dedicate my time to raising my 2 and a half-year-old son along with my fiance, and doting  on my Mother. Any small left-overs from my blog recipes are fed to my two grumpy chihuahuas, Oso and Penny.

Love this recipe and want to see more recipes from Nicole Presley? Watch her make them in real life on her webisodes!