Pistachio Praline 

INGREDIENTS

• Pistachios - 100 g
• Granulated white sugar - 75 g
• Fresh cream - 30 ml
• Green gel food color (optional) - 1 to 2 drops

1. Add the pistachios to a saucepan and dry roast over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
   
2. Transfer the pistachios to a baking tray lined with a silicone mat.
3. Add the granulated white sugar to the saucepan and place it over low to medium heat. Do not stir much.
4. Once all the sugar dissolves to form a golden caramel, take the saucepan off the heat and pour the caramel over the pistachios on the silicone mat.
5. Be careful not to touch the caramel at this point.
6. Allow the caramel to harden for 10 minutes.
7. Peel the pistachio caramel slab off the silicone mat and break it into large shards.
8. PISTACHIO PRALINE CRUNCH: Transfer the large praline shards into a zip lock bag and beat it using a rolling pin until the desired shard size has been achieved (the smaller the better). This praline crunch can be layered over mousse, ganache or even custard.
9. PISTACHIO PRALINE PASTE: Add the praline crunch to a food processor and grind it to form a fine powder. Mix this powder with fresh cream to form the praline paste. the amount of fresh cream can be increased to form a thinner paste. This praline paste can be layered between cake layers, in tarts or even in ice creams.

- Pastry Chef Akanksha