The first time I tried these delicious melt in the mouth Parmesan and Pistachio Sable was at a friends cocktail party. I’m never one to pass up on an invitation to cocktails and nibbles with good friends, all of which are such wonderful cooks and hosts. This particular invitation came from a German friend who bakes the most incredible cookies at Christmas amongst many other magnificent things. But on this occasion she prepared a variety of delicious savoury nibbles and marvellous cocktails, one of which was elderflower and gin fizz (That will have to feature in another blog post!) All the nibbles were wonderful but the Pistachio and Parmesan Sable were to die for, so light and buttery with a tremendous cheesy flavour. Adding a sharp, aged cheese to a rich, nutty biscuit sounds like a very good idea to me, very wise indeed. Also with just enough cayenne to make your taste buds tingle too.
These canapés are excellent to make and bake ahead of time, you can even freeze the dough rolled into a sausage shape, wrapped in clingfilm and a freezer bag, ready to take out as and when you desire something a little special.
Lovely as they are on their own you can turn them into a very impressive canapé. Top with soft goats cheese, (I used Chavroux) and homemade pesto, a standard basil pesto or wild garlic would also work incredibly well, finish with a sliver of tomato and chive flowers.
Parmesan & Pistachio Sable
Ingredients
- 45 g Unsalted Pistachios
- 60 g Plain Flour or gluten free plain flour
- 60 g Cold Butter diced
- 60 g Parmesan Grated
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 good pinch Cayenne or Aleppo pepper
Instructions
- Begin by chopping the pistachios in a food processor, pulse until you have a fairly fine meal. Next add the flour, grated parmesan, diced butter, egg yolk and cayenne. Pulse until a dough forms. Do not over mix.
- Remove the dough from the machine and bring it together. Roll into a long sausage shape. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for an hour.
- Pre-heat the oven 175C fan. Slice the desired amount and place on a baking tray. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack, store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Notes
Beetroot & Horseradish Cured Gravlax
Hi ,
I just made the Parmesan and Pistachio sable biscuits . Instead of strong white flour I used the Dove free from gluten and wheat , 60g .
And used aged Pecorino .
Once in the oven , the house smelt blissful , such a warm comforting smell .
After 14 mn in the oven , took it out to rest and once cooled , it just turned into crumbs . It didn’t hold together at all .
I’m not sure why that happened after following the instructions , any ideas ?
However , we are going to use the crumbs to top a beautiful bean and chard soup , so at least they wont go to waste .
Best Sanna
Hi Sanna,
Sorry to hear this. Obviously I tested both strong and gluten free for this recipe and had no issue so I’m slightly puzzled. I’m glad you could put the crumb to good use though. I take it you used an egg yolk to bind the mixture?
Hi again ,
Yes ι did . I will try again later and let you know ,
Best ,
Sanna
Maybe Leave in the fridge for an 1- 1 1/2 hours before baking.