Skip to main content

Pistachio Tuiles

Try making this sweet, delicate cookie with any nut. It’s a terrific garnish for ice creams or chocolate desserts.

Cooks' Note

You can make a stencil with the lid from a yogurt container. Cut off most of the lip, leaving a piece to use as a tab. Trace a 2 1⁄4-inch circle in the center of the lid and cut it out with a sharp knife. If you aren’t making these for the Bitter Chocolate Custard dessert on page 174, you can just sprinkle the powder in a thin, even layer on a Silpat, bake, and let cool. Then you can cut or break the tuile into abstract shapes.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about thirty 2 1/4-inch cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup (250g) fondant (see page 275)
3 tablespoons (50g) light corn syrup
Generous 1/3 cup (50g) shelled unsalted pistachios

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the fondant and corn syrup in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until a light caramel color. Stir in the pistachios and scrape out onto a Silpat or parchment. Let cool completely.

    Step 2

    Heat the oven to 325°F or 300°F on convection.

    Step 3

    Break the pistachio mixture into small pieces. Working in small batches, process to a very fine powder in a spice grinder.

    Step 4

    Line a baking sheet with a Silpat and set a 2 1/4-inch round stencil (see Note) on top. Sprinkle a thin, even layer of the powder into the stencil. Lift the stencil up and repeat.

    Step 5

    Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely and store, layered between pieces of parchment, in an airtight container.

Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book. Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__
Read More
Like “absolutely decadent” chocolate pudding and fattoush salad.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Like spicy carrot rigatoni and weeknight-fancy ravioli with peas.
For Derby Day indulgence or a post-Thanksgiving lunch, this Kentucky favorite can’t be beat.
A flurry of fresh tarragon makes this speedy weeknight dish of seared cod and luscious, sun-colored pan sauce feel restaurant worthy.
Like lemony risotto and tandoori-style cauliflower.