Pistachio Brittle
I am a firm believer that the biggest difference between a meal at a restaurant and a meal at your house are the little things not the big ones. I believe you can cook a chicken, fry a piece of fish or bake a cake but its the sauces and garnishes that take it above and beyond what you would do for yourself. I hope I convince you that you are in face worth the extra steps. Make the dang garnish!
This pistachio is the perfect crispy crunchy treat, comes together quickly and is a great addition to a ton of things! Put it on a cake, crumble it on your yogurt, add a little sweetness and crunch to a fruit salad! The opportunities are infinite!
This is made by making a vary basic caramel, and getting the perfect level of gold is the hardest part, but once you grasp a caramel I truly believe you can tackle anything in the kitchen.
Wet vs Dry Caramels
The differences between a wet and dry caramel are quite simple. With a dry caramel you heat sugar alone until it caramelizes, and a wet caramel involves mixing the sugar with water (and sometimes corn syrup!).
You may be tempted to make a dry caramel as the direct heat will melt the sugar quickly, but that speed also means you risk burning the sugar – which nobody wants! Even if just one spot in the pot begins to burn you risk ruining the flavour of the whole batch.
A wet caramel is more forgiving as the addition of water allows you to bring the mixture to a boil a a lower temperature, this is important because the movement from the boiling liquid help the sugars to caramelize at a more even rate. If you know your stovetop has hot spots I would highly encourage you to only make wet caramels.
Keys to Success
I can’t stress this enough, read the entire recipe first and have all of your equipment set up. The best way to succeed it to be prepared, and if you end up with sugar mixture ready before you are ready to roll it out it will cool and not be as easy to manouver.
Planning Ahead
This can absolute be made ahead, but keep in mind that sugar and moisture are not friends! They want to be friends so bad because they truly love each other – but it’s a toxic kind of love where the end result is just awful for everyone. If your brittle is in a moist environment it will get tacky and sticky and loose it’s crispness. In a dry environment your brittle can last weeks!
Equipment
- Small Pot
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Spoons
- Kitchen Scale
- Rolling Pin
- Heat Resistant Spatula
- Pastry Brush
- Small glass/bowl of water
- Tape
Pistachio Brittle
Course: GarnishesCrispy and crunchy, this pistachio brittle is a perfect treat on it’s own but can also be chopped and used a a garnish for your favourite treat!
Ingredients
100g White Sugar
70g Pistachios, Finely Chopped
2 Tbsp Water
Directions
- Gather two pieces of parchment, each approximately 18″ long. Tape one of the pieces of parchment to a heat proof surface.
- Add your water and sugar to a medium pot then stir to combine and place on a burner over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. If you notice that your mixture is bubbling heavier or browning in certain spots you can gently swirl your pot but do not stir.
If you notice that some of the sugar is starting to crystallize along the sides of your pot dip your pastry brush in the water and drip some of the water onto the crystals to nudge them into the pot and then swirl to combine. - Continue cooking until the sugar become a deep amber and then remove from the heat. Immediately add in your pistachios and then carefully stir to combine.
- Quickly transfer your caramel/nut mixture to the parchment paper you taped down and cover with the second piece of parchment. Use your rolling pin to roll out the brittle as thin as as you are able.
- Leave your brittle to cool completely and then break or chop to your hearts desire! Enjoy!
Notes
- If your house is cold preheat an oven to 200F and place your pistachios in the oven when you start to make the caramel. This will prevent the caramel from solidifying too quickly.
