Pistachio seems to be having a moment, isn’t it? I’m adding my own pistachio love with this pistachio bostock.
Growing up pistachio was rarely my go-to. Brother always got pistachio custard whenever we’d go out for a treat, while I always got boringly reliable by ever so delicious vanilla.
Time for me to come into the now, I guess.
It seems a bit soon to be adding in another bostock recipe since it seems like yesterday I gave you a gingerbread one. However, I was having a mad sort of pistachio-pastry craving the other day and just couldn’t bring myself to do a full blow batch of croissants about it, even if they are of the rough puff variety.
No, it was just me today and I needed to small-batch this craving. Bostock just seemed like the most obvious option. Two slices – one for now, one for later.
As I mentioned when I made these before, you only need a few slices of stale bread (luckily I had some challah collecting some freezer burn), and likely what you have on hand in your pantry and fridge. The whole thing is done and dusted in 20 min. Much faster than that batch of croissants.
As a reminder, bostock is a French “pastry” concoction of stale bread topped with a frangipane paste and baked until the top is crispy. Dusted with powdered sugar, it’s the best way to recycle and revive day old (or freezer burned) bread. I say pastry loosely here because there is no kneading, lamination, or fuss about it.
This recipe swaps out the ground almonds for ground pistachios which makes for a slightly richer feeling treat.
Not mad about it.
Anyway, here’s what you’ll need to make pistachio bostock:
- Day old or slightly toasted (to try out) challah or brioche bread
- Sugar, for the simple syrup and topping
- Pistachios, ground into a fine sand consistency
- Vanilla, melted butter, salt and egg, to bring it all together
- Powdered sugar and extra pistachios, to top it all off
Sounds good, right? Let’s go.
Pistacho Bostock
Ingredients
For the syrup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the pistachio paste
- ½ cup whole pistachios
- 1 TB melted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 TB granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a small saucepan, make the simple syrup by combining the water and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and ensure all the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla and mix well. Set aside.
- To the bowl of a food processor, add the pistachios and and 2 TB granulated sugar. Pulse until the mixture resembles a fine sand. Don't over-pulse - you don't want to make a paste or butter.
- Combine the pistachios with the melted butter, egg and vanilla all together. Mix thoroughly until a smooth paste forms.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the syrup on both sides of each slice of bread. Place evenly on the cookie sheet. Spread the pistachio paste evenly amongst the two slices of bread. Cover with extra chopped pistachios.
- Bake 16-20 minutes until the top is golden. You can feel that the pistachio layer has a crusty feel to it. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes.
- Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!