Pistachio Cranberry Divinity Recipes

PISTACHIO-CRANBERRY DIVINITY

Steps:

• Line large cookie sheet with waxed paper. In medium bowl, beat egg white with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form; set aside.
• In 2-quart heavy saucepan, mix water, corn syrup and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Without stirring, cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until syrup reaches 250°F on candy thermometer.
• When syrup is 250°F, continue beating egg white on high speed while slowly pouring syrup into egg white. Beat 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture holds a soft peak and does not flatten when dropped from a spoon.
• Fold in vanilla, nuts and cranberries. Quickly spoon mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Let stand about 30 minutes or until completely set.

PISTACHIO DIVINITY

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Lightly spray 2 teaspoons with cooking spray.
• In a large heavy-bottom stainless steel saucepan, stir together sugar, corn syrup, ½ cup water, and salt. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 256°. (When thermometer is near 256° begin beating egg whites.)
• In a large bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add vanilla extract and cream of tartar, and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add hot sugar syrup to egg white mixture in a thin, steady stream, beating until mixture holds its shapes and begins to lose its glossy appearance, approximately 5 minutes.
• Using prepared spoons, immediately drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Press a pistachio on top of each mound. Let stand until dry before removing from baking sheets, approximately 6 hours.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature with layers separated by wax paper until ready to serve.

CRANBERRY-PISTACHIO BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Make pistachio custard for ice cream:
• Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scape seeds into a heavy medium saucepan using tip of a paring knife, then add pod. Add milk, cream, and half of sugar and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Whisk yolks with remaining sugar in a large bowl. Slowly add hot milk mixture, whisking. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is slightly thickened and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil)
• Immediately strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, discarding vanilla bean. Whisk in pistachio paste. Chill custard at least 6 hours.
• Make cranberry base for sorbet:
• Bring cranberries, water, sugar, and zest to a boil in a medium saucepan, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries have burst, about 5 minutes. Purée in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Chill at least 6 hours.
• Prepare cake layer:
• Line loaf pan with a large sheet of plastic wrap, leaving a 4-inch overhang on all sides. Trim off top of cake and cut 2 (1/2-inch-thick) long horizontal slices from cake, reserving remainder for another use. Place 1 layer in bottom of pan, trimming to fit, and put in freezer. Cover remaining cake layer with plastic wrap to keep moist.
• Make sorbet:
• Freeze sorbet base in ice cream maker, then transfer to loaf pan, smoothing evenly over cake layer. Freeze 1 hour.
• Make ice cream, and assemble:
• Freeze custard in cleaned ice cream maker, then fold in chopped pistachios, spread ice cream over cranberry sorbet, smoothing top, then top with remaining cake layer, pressing it flat. Wrap cake with overhang and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.
• Make meringue:
• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
• Beat egg whites with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat until whites hold stiff peaks. Invert cake onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and discard plastic wrap. Spread meringue over top and sides of cake. Bake until meringue is tipped with brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Do Ahead
• Assembled cake (without meringue) can be frozen, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, up to 4 days. Cake can be covered with meringue (but not baked) 4 hours ahead and frozen, uncovered.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
• Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
• Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

ORANGE-PISTACHIO DIVINITY

Steps:

• Place egg whites in bowl of a stand mixer; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line two 15x10x1-in. pans with waxed paper., In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Cook, without stirring, over medium heat until a thermometer reads 252° (hard-ball stage). Just before that temperature is reached, beat egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form., With mixer continuing to run on high speed, slowly add hot sugar mixture in a thin stream over egg whites, beating constantly and scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add orange zest and vanilla. Beat until candy holds its shape and begins to lose its gloss, 5-6 minutes. (Do not overbeat, or candy will stiffen and crumble.) Immediately fold in pistachios., Quickly drop mixture by tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans. Let stand at room temperature until dry to the touch. Store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk with a fork to mix. Add eggs and butter and mix on medium until a loose dough forms, about 1 minute. Stir in cranberries, nuts, zest and anise seeds and mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Transfer dough to baking sheet. Spray hands with cooking spray and form dough into a long, flat log, about 14 inches long by 4 inches wide. Bake until outside of log is firm and browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on 2 baking sheets, return to oven and bake until lightly toasted, about 12 minutes. Cool. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.