Pistachio Dacquoise with Strawberries

Before starting this Pistachio Dacquoise with Strawberries recipe, organise the necessary ingredients for the pistachio Dacquoise.

In the processor bowl, place the icing sugar and chopped pistachios.

Mix finely for about 1 minute.

Pour the egg whites in the stand mixer bowl...

... and beat at medium speed until firm. Add 1/3 of the castor sugar and continue beating until stiff.

Add another third of castor sugar...

... then the last third. Make sure you incorporate the castor sugar in 3 batches.

Continue beating for a few seconds then stop the mixer.

Pour the pistachio paste over the beaten egg whites....

... and fold gently until homogeneous.

Add the pistachio and icing sugar mix to the almond powder.

Combine these dry ingredients together...

... and add to the pistachio meringue.

Fold gently with a rubber spatula. The Dacquoise preparation is now ready.

Transfer the preparation into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle Ø 10 mm. Set aside.

Cut a sheet of greaseproof paper to the dimensions of your baking tray. I used dimensions 40 x 30cm for this recipe. Using a pencil and a stainless steel ring as a guide, draw a circle to a diameter of 28cm.

Flip the greaseproof paper on the baking sheet so the drawn circle is facing down.

Pipe the Dacquoise preparation into petal-shaped dots around the outer edge. Then pipe a spiral, starting from the centre and working towards the outer edge.

Place four stainless steel rings in the corners of the baking parchment to make sure it doesn't lift during baking.

Sprinkle chopped pistachios over the Dacquoise biscuit...

... and drizzle with icing sugar.

Place in a fan-assisted oven preheated at 180°C (gas 4)...

... and bake between 12 and 15 minutes.

When cooked, remove the tray from the oven.

Drizzle icing sugar again over the biscuit...

... and leave to cool.

For the crème pâtissière: Organise all the necessary ingredients. This pastry cream is a component of the pistachio crème mousseline.

Pour the milk in a saucepan and place over medium heat.

Cut the vanilla pod half lengthwise. Scrape the seeds out with a knife.

Add the vanilla seeds and pod to the milk. Bring to a boil.

In a mixing bowl, place the egg yolks and the castor sugar...

... and blanch with a whisk.

Add the crème pâtissière powder...

... and the flour.

Combine until homogeneous.

When the milk starts boiling...

... pour over the powder ingredients...

... and combine with a whisk until all the ingredients are dissolved.

Transfer the preparation into the saucepan used to boil the milk.

Cook over medium heat until thick. Stir constantly with a whisk while cooking.

The pastry cream is ready when thickened.

Add a chunk of butter and combine until completely melted.

Transfer into a recipient and leave to cool. Place some cling film in direct contact with the surface of the cream to avoid the formation of a crust.

For the Italian meringue: Organise the necessary ingredients. This meringue is a component of the crème au beurre. Keep in mind that the crème au beurre is a component of the pistachio crème mousseline.

Pour the water and sugar in a saucepan. Place the saucepan on the stove over medium heat.

Pour the egg whites in the stand mixer bowl.

When the sugar reaches 118°C, remove the pan from the heat.

Beat the egg whites until firm, then add the cooked sugar (it should no longer be boiling)...

... and beat until cooled down completely. The Italian meringue is now ready. Set aside.

For the crème au beurre: Organise the necessary ingredients. This crème au beurre is a component of the pistachio crème mousseline.

In a saucepan, pour the milk and bring to a boil.

Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl...

... add the castor sugar...

... and beat vigorously with a whisk.

When the milk starts boiling, pour over the blanched egg yolks. Combine well with a whisk.

Transfer the preparation into the saucepan used to boil the milk.

Cook the preparation 'à la nappe' (i.e. until the consistency is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon). This is the technique used for crème anglaise. Make sure the temperature doesn't exceed 82°C or you'll end up with scrambled eggs. For this step, I recommend using a digital thermometer with probe. Set aside to cool.

Place the diced butter in the stand mixer bowl...

... and whisk at high speed until smooth and homogeneous.

Add the custard to the butter. Make sure the custard is cold.

Combine until homogeneous.

The crème au beurre is ready.

Add the Italian meringue. Use a kitchen scale to use only the amount of meringue listed above. Combine gently with a rubber spatula...

... and mix until the preparation has a homogeneous consistency.

For the crème mousseline: Organise the necessary ingredients.

Pour the crème au beurre in a mixing bowl and add the pistachio paste.

Add the pastry cream and fold gently with the maryse spatula. The different preparations should easily bind together.

Transfer the pistachio crème mousseline into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle (diameter 10mm). Set aside.

When the pistachio Dacquoise is cold, flip it on a baking sheet and gently detach the greaseproof paper. Is the biscuit is cold, the greaseproof paper should come off easily.

Flip the biscuit again to the side with chopped pistachios is facing up.

Pipe the pistachio crème mousseline into pointed dots over the surface of the biscuit. Leave a gap of 1 or 2 cm around the edge.

The final result should look like this. Reserve in the fridge.

Place the strawberry jam into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Prefer a jam without chunks or a jelly for better results.

Add the strawberries (cut in half) to the jam. Make sure the strawberries are fresh, firm and regular.

Combine gently so the strawberries are coated with jam.

Carefully arrange the strawberries over the pistachio dessert. Strawberries should be coated with jam with no excess. Jam will give them a glossy finish. Arrange the strawberries vertically, in tight rows.

Create a total of 3 or 4 rows.

Finish the decoration by sprinkling chopped pistachios over the surface. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve. Take this dessert out the fridge 10 minutes before serving Enjoy!