This nourishing dessert pairs red strawberries with pale green, luscious pistachio cream. It’s also delicious with almond, hazelnut, or macadamia nut cream; follow the same recipe, just use different nuts. You can also try fresh blueberries or a mixture of berries on top. Make sure to use raw (not roasted) pistachios for a greener, fresher-tasting cream.
Note: Nuts must be soaked 8 hours in advance.
Strawberries With Pistachio Cream
Servings
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted pistachios
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pint fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
- Optional for garnish: 1 teaspoon freshlygrated orange zest
Instructions
- Place the nuts in a medium bowl and cover with a couple of inches of water. Soak for 8 hours.
- Rinse and drain the pistachios (they will have increased in volume to about 1½ cups), and transfer to a high-speed blender. Add 1 cup fresh water, the honey, almond extract, and salt, and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. (You should yield a scant 2 cups pistachio cream.)
- Spoon the pistachio cream into 4 small dessert cups or bowls. Arrange the berries on top. Sprinkle with pistachios and, if desired, orange zest. Serve.
- Recipe excerpted with permission from The New Milks: 100-Plus Dairy-Free Recipes for Making and Cooking with Soy, Nut, Seed, Grain, and Coconut Milks, by Dina Cheney
Sure, you can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge.
Can you make this earlier in the day and serve it for dinner. Should the cream be refrigerated?
Would be good with peaches too.
Thanks so much Tamar. I love strawberries, but my husband does not, he loves blueberries. Will try it with the pistachios first.
The answer is yes to all your questions, the one that will make the most difference is the type of nut, that will not only affect the flavor but also texture, but they will all work.
Sounds delicious. 3 questions, can agave be replaced with honey, can you use any other nut to make the cream, and can you serve the pistachio cream with blueberries, blackberries or raspberries?