Pistachio & Cardamom Madeleines (inspired by The Hundred Foot Journey)

It’s funny how in life just one journey, wether it’s 100 foot or 23,321,760 foot, can change your life forever. The first step is what really matters though. Without the first step the journey cannot begin. Do you have a moment ingrained in your memory as the start of something new. That perhaps you didn’t know it at the time, but looking back you’re like that one decision, that one choice, that one step lead you to where you are now?

That’s what this story is about. The story does start at the beginning with a tragedy in Hassan Haji's youth that changed everything, but that's not where it really starts. It really starts when Hassan makes the choice to walk those 100 feet and start something new.

It’s the tragedy that takes his family first to England, then to France where they decide to make a new home. Once in France they move to a small town across the street from a classic French restaurant run by one Madame Mallory. She discovers that Hassan has a natural ability when it comes to cooking. Learning under the scrutiny of  Madame Mallory will he have what it takes to make it in Paris as a chef? You will need to read the book to find out!

There is a scene in the book where Hassan is having tea with Madame Mallory and he talks about the pistachio madeline’s they are enjoying with said tea. Having only used my madeline tin twice I thought it was about time I dragged it out to use again! Instead of just pistachio madeline’s I added cardamon as well to represent the different cultures that are brought together in this book. I also dipped mine in some melted white chocolate and chopped pistachio nuts!

They turned out good, the perfect balance of salty and sweet. If you’d like to try making these for yourself to eat with a cup of tea (or coffee) while reading this amazing book here’s how I made them!

Pistachio & Cardamom Madeleines

1 large egg
60g caster sugar
60g plain flour, sifted
40g pistachios, ground to a powder
60g butter, melted
3-4 cardamom pods, spilt open and seeds ground up
75g white chocolate, melted
40g pistachios, roughly chopped

Grease a plastic pipping bag with butter, leave to the side. Beat the egg and sugar together with the whisk attachment in a free standing mixer or a hand mixer until it’s tripled and has reached ribbon stage, the batter dripping from the whisk should remain on the surface for a minimum of 3 seconds. Gently fold in the flour and ground pistachios until just combined before adding the cooled melted butter. Again gently fold it in being careful not to knock any of the air out! Place the batter into your prepared piping bag and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, but ideally 4 hours.
When you are ready to bake heat the oven to 210C. Grease the madeline tin with warm butter and sprinkle with flour, knock off any extra flour (over the sink) and pipe the madeline batter into each mould. Bake in the heated oven for 7-9 minutes. They should spring back when pressed gently with your thumb. These you do not want sitting around in the tin! Wearing oven mitts give it a sharp rap on the counter to release the madeleines. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Once cool to the touch dip in the melted white chocolate and then dip in the chopped pistachios. Enjoy!

notes: This post is part of my #storybookbakes series. 4,417 miles is approximately the distance between The United States and The United Kingdom. I borrowed The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais by a friend before obtaining my own copy. All opinions are my own please see my contact/policy page above for more information. Recipe is adapted from John Whaite’s Pistachio and Cardamom Madeline’s found here. The recipe is missing the amount of butter so I made an educated guess and it as far as I am concerned turned out okay! I am entering these madeline’s into this month’s Treat Petite hosted by Cakeyboi & The Baking Explorer. These madeleines are also being entered into the Perfecting Patisserie blogging challenge hosted by The Baking Queen!

Jus-Roll with the Turnovers

Puff pastry is more time consuming then other pastries. I’m all for making it yourself, but I’m also all about making life easier. I am a busy full time mom and especially more recently a full time blogger, I make short cuts when and where I can!

So, when I make my girls their favorite pasties, homemade pizzas, sausage rolls, or simple easy desserts like these turnovers, I buy puff pastry. I always have and until I have excessive amounts of free time, I probably always will.

The fruit and nuts in this recipe can be swapped around to suit your taste! My local store doesn't sell the all butter version of the puff pastry sheet, so I used butter as a glaze and ate these with some cream! Ice cream would be a good accompaniment too!

Peach and Pistachio Turnovers

1 Jus-Rol puff pastry sheet (use all butter if available)

flour to dust

4 tsp apricot jam

30g pistachios, chopped

2 fresh ripe peaches, stones removed and halved

1 egg beaten or melted butter

Preheat the oven to 200C. Unroll the pastry on a floured work surface and cut into four equal-sized squares. Spread one heaped tsp of jam diagonally along the center of each pastry. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and then place one peach half in the middle of each pastry square cut side down. Fold over two opposite corners of the pastry, so they overlap in the middle on top of the peach. Now brush them with the beaten egg or melted butter. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool. Serve with cream or ice cream!

notes: in association with Jus-Rol, please see my contact/policy page for more information. I used more of my Whynot pistachios! See my pistachio cupcakes to find out more! Recipe is from Jus-Rol 30 best loved recipes. Check out my facebook page for how I make my girls favorite pasties!! 

It’s not easy being green …

… unless you are a little pistachio cupcake full of nutty goodness then it’s slightly easier.

It's easier then being a blogger with writers block.

Recently when I sit down to write about what I just made or product I just tried I stare at the screen not sure where to start. 

I usually end up with something and I’m happy with everything I post otherwise I wouldn’t post it.

It’s just that it used to come a lot easier and it bothers me that I’m struggling.

At least it’s not a baking block!

That has been non-stop recently, maybe that’s where the stress is coming from. Trying to keep my site up with all the baking I’ve been doing? So, maybe I’m putting unnecessary pressure on myself.

Perhaps? But for now I'll get back to the real reason I’m writing a post! I made pistachio cupcakes! Whynut, a local company, sent me some of their delicious pistachios and pistachio paste to try out.

I used the pistachio nuts and paste in the cake and used the paste in the icing to give it its green color! Of course it’s not easy being green!

My girls were very skeptical of them because they were green. Once they tried them though they thought they were great!

I will have to wait until Thursday to find out how they got on at the toddler group bake sale!

The only thing I would do different is the icing. I don’t get on well with icing that is just icing sugar and water and in this case pistachio paste. I should learn to trust my instincts and made a buttercream, but I didn’t! So, anyhow here they are!

It’s Not Easy Being Green Pistachio Cupcakes:

50g/2oz pistachios

140g/5oz golden caster sugar

140g/oz5 butter, softened

2 medium eggs

140g/5oz self-rising flour

2 tbsp pistachio paste

3 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 160C/140Cfan/gas3 and line your muffin tin with liners. Place the pistachios with half of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

In a bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl) place all the ingredients including the sugar and chopped pistachio mixture. Beat until smooth. Divide into cases about ¾ full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Use the skewer test to make sure they are completely baked. Cool in the tin until completely cool. Then make the …

icing:

250g/9oz icing sugar/ confectioners sugar, sifted

1-2 tbsp of pistachio paste

1-2 tbsp water

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add 1 tbsp of water to the icing sugar whisk into a paste, add the pistachio paste and whisk until smooth. I added a further tbsp of water and I think it was a bit runny, so just add it until you get a consistency you are happy with.

to finish:

Edible glitter or chopped pistachios.

I say to leave them in the tin, because the cakes were coming away from the cases. Which is bad for this type of icing. So, if you’ve taken them out to cool stick them back into the tin. If the cake(s) have peaked trim them up, if you want a flat surface. Then spoon the icing on top of each cake. Gently spread if needed, mine was too runny so it just spread on its own. Then using 1 pinch of edible glitter sprinkle all 12 cakes. I know some people have an issue with edible glitter, but I literally took a pinch in my fingers and sprinkled 12 cupcakes with it. If it’s an issue for you just leave them off and use chopped up pistachios! 

Leave to set then enjoy!

notes: Whynut: Premium Quality Nuts provided me with the pistachio’s and paste for this post, views and opinions are my own. Please see my contact/policy page for further information. They have hazelnut paste and spread available on their site too! All their pastes and spreads contain no additives, E numbers, or preservatives! Recipe is adapted from Bakes & Cakes magazine Summer 2013.

Gelato! #AugustBreak

vanilla

chocolate

pistachio 

Gelato from ASK in Reading, Berkshire. Join the August Break!