Pistachio Paste

The intensity of pistachio cream, frangipane, or any pistachio bake lives or dies by the paste. Look for a paste that is one hundred per cent pistachio, with no added sugar, no oils, and no green colouring - a Sicilian Bronte-style paste is the gold standard, and specialty bakery suppliers stock excellent alternatives at lower price points. Real pistachio paste is dark moss green, almost olive, never neon. Avoid the bright green sweetened "pistachio cream" spreads sold for sandwiches and pastries: these are mostly sugar and seed oil with a small percentage of pistachio, often dyed for visual appeal, and they will throw the balance of any bake by adding sweetness where you expect savoury depth. If pure paste is hard to source, you can make a passable substitute by blitzing 100 g of shelled, lightly toasted unsalted pistachios with 1 tablespoon of mild oil in a strong food processor for several minutes until smooth - but for the cleanest pistachio flavour, the shop-bought 100 per cent paste is unmatched.