Homemade pistachio ice cream with delicate, elegant almond cookies is the perfect idea for a sweet gift you can prepare for Mother’s Day!
Ingredients:
Additional:
- White chocolate – 100 g
- Blueberries – 50 g
- Raspberries – 70 g
- Fresh mint – 2 g
Pistachio Ice Cream:
- Sugar – 100 g
- Milk – 150 ml
- Olive oil – 1 teaspoon
- Pistachios – 200 g
- Vanilla – 3 g
- Heavy cream (30%) – 200 ml
Italian Meringue:
- Sugar – 200 g
- Icing sugar – 10 g
- Eggs – 3 pieces
- Water – 100 ml
Almond Cookies Base:
- Icing sugar – 200 g
- Eggs – 3 pieces
- Almond flour – 200 g
- Food coloring – 1 piece
Preparation:
Step 1: Grinding Pistachios Remove the pistachio shells and combine with olive oil in a coffee grinder. Grind into a smooth, uniform paste.
Step 2: Whisk Egg Yolks Over Steam In a bowl, combine milk, sugar, and egg yolks, then place it over a pot of boiling water. Reduce heat.
Mix vigorously with a whisk until the egg mixture reaches a temperature of about 80°C. Remove the bowl from the pot.
Add vanilla seeds and ground pistachios. Mix well.
Step 3: Add Whipped Cream Add whipped cream to the egg mixture. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.
Pour the pistachio cream into a plastic container, cover, and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
Step 4: Prepare the Almond Cookies Base Combine ground almonds in a bowl with egg whites and icing sugar. Add food coloring. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.
Step 5: Whisk Eggs and Prepare Sugar Syrup Whisk room temperature egg whites in a mixing bowl.
Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil until the temperature reaches about 116-118°C. Test the syrup’s temperature using a sugar thermometer – the syrup should form bubbles when ready.
Step 6: Combine Sugar Syrup with Egg Whites (Italian Meringue) While still whisking the egg whites, slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup and continue to whisk until a pearly foam forms.
Step 7: Combine Meringue with Almond Cookies Base Add the meringue in batches to the almond cookies base and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.
Step 8: Pipe the Mixture onto a Baking Sheet Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a straight tip. Pipe the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, forming flat cookies. Leave space between the cookies as they will slightly expand during baking.
Gently tap the baking sheet on the kitchen counter, then let the cookies rest for about 20-30 minutes.
Step 9: Bake the Cookies Bake the cookies for about 13-15 minutes in an oven preheated to 140°C (with convection) or 150°C (without convection). Allow to cool.
Step 10: Assemble the Cookies with Ice Cream Mix the frozen ice cream to soften it. Pipe the ice cream onto half of the baked and cooled cookies.
Using the remaining cookies, cover the ice cream to create ice cream sandwiches. Gently press to form sandwiches.
Place assembled cookies in the freezer while preparing the chocolate.
Step 11: Serve the Cookies Temper and cool the chocolate by stirring. Dip the cookies into the chocolate, stand them vertically on a plate lined with parchment paper or baking paper (it’s advisable to chill the plate in the fridge beforehand), and place them back in the freezer until the chocolate sets.
Arrange the stable cookies with a layer of set white chocolate vertically on a platter. Decorate with fresh fruits (e.g., raspberries and blueberries) and mint leaves. Serve immediately after assembling.
