Ellie Bouhadana visited Sunrise to share how to make the perfect pistachio and almond amaretti.
In her debut cookbook, Ellie shares recipes picked up through her travels through Italy as well as ones that have been handed down from generation to generation.
Part recipe book, part journal, Ellie’s Table is an extension of Ellie’s food ethos and includes all the recipes close to her heart.
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Recipe below
Pistachio and almond amaretti biscuits
These amaretti are ideal dessert eating or very good in the morning with a coffee.
It’s important for the biscuit’s texture to be somewhere between chewy and crunchy, so make sure you whip the egg whites until they are almost like meringue before combining them with the nut and sugar mixture.
Makes 30 biscuits
Ingredients
3 egg whites (total weight about 80 g /2¾ oz)
400 g (14 oz) caster sugar (superfine)
250 g (9 oz) unsalted pistachio nuts
230 g (8 oz) ground almonds
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
Coating
100 g (3½ oz) caster sugar (superfine)
100 g (3½ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
To make the dough
In an electric mixer or using electric beaters, whip the egg whites until fluffy, then slowly add half of the caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks have formed.
Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until they are the texture of fine breadcrumbs, but slightly coarser than the ground almonds.
Mix the pistachios, ground almonds, the rest of the caster sugar and the vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl. Add half of the beaten egg whites in the mixture and, using your hands, bring the mixture together to form a soft, sticky dough. Add the rest of the egg white mixture and combine with your hands.
To roll and coat the biscuits
Scoop out a lump of dough weighing about 30 g (1 oz), then gently roll it between your hands into a walnut-sized ball.
Dust the ball lightly in the caster sugar, then dust more heavily in the icing sugar and put it on the baking tray. Repeat until you have used up all of the dough.
To bake and serve
Bake for about 15–18 minutes. The bottom of the biscuits should be golden brown and the top cracked. Leave them to cool completely on a wire rack. They may be soft in the middle when you first take them out of the oven, but will soon crisp up as they cool down.
Note: The amaretti will keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. Eat them with a coffee or serve with the Vermouth poached cherries and mascarpone (page 213) for a decadent dessert.
Note: The texture of the amaretti may vary each time you make them, but don’t be alarmed. It will be affected by the oil content of the nuts, moisture content of the egg whites and temperature of your kitchen, all of which can differ from batch to batch.