Homemade Pistachio Drink Syrup (that actually tastes like pistachios!)

This bright green syrup tastes just like pistachios, with a bright green color and bold, nutty flavor that’s perfect in caffeinated beverages, cocktails and mocktails, or drizzled over ice cream, waffles or pancakes.

Most pistachio syrup recipes out there call for simply steeping pistachios in a sugar syrup, but that just gives you a faintly nutty sugar syrup that barely tastes like pistachio at all. Instead, my recipe calls for blending the nuts with the sugar syrup and then straining it, resulting in a luscious, thick green syrup that actually tastes like real pistachios (no extract needed!)

I know, I know. I’ve gone a little pistachio crazy lately, it’s bordering on obsession (at what point do I need to change the blog name to Love & Pistachios?)

Since we’ve already tackled homemade pistachio butter, I really wanted to figure out a homemade pistachio syrup next. Because, let’s face it, most commercially available brands of pistachio syrup just aren’t very good. I thought finding a good pistachio extract was hard, but pistachio syrup is even more elusive. Most of the ones I’ve tried taste too chemically, even bordering on cherry cough syrup-like flavor more than pistachio. It’s really disappointing if we’re being honest here.

I figured, how hard could it be to make my own?

I tested a number of different versions of this recipe, with the ultimate aim to maximize the natural pistachio flavor as much as possible, and a secondary goal of a gorgeous green color.

When I compared a steeped and blended syrup to a syrup that was just steeped with pistachios, the difference was like night and day. The blended syrup actually tastes like pistachios. The steeped syrup… doesn’t. Like, at all. It tastes like a plain old sugar syrup that briefly dated a pistachio in their teenage years (lol).

Anyway. Blending the syrup is the key here, and you really can’t get away with skipping this step (though see my note at the very bottom for a blender-free version in a pinch).

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/fbmBYaz

Sweet & Spicy Sesame Snack Mix

When you’re craving intense flavor and satisfying crunch, something salty and sweet with just a hint of heat, this sesame-forward snack mix hits all the right notes, with the perfect variety of crunchy bits and a flavor-packed glaze featuring soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and spices.

Because of the honey in the glaze (which is prone to burning), this snack mix bakes at a lower temperature for a longer time, resulting in a perfectly crisp texture every time. And while the longer baking time might test your patience, the favor-packed results are well worth the wait. Might I suggest making an extra large batch (because it surely won’t last long!)

Taylor is a snack fanatic, always crunching on something even if we just finished dinner, going through bags of various snack mixes at an alarming rate (at this point he should probably just change his last name from Hackbarth to Snackbarth).

Lately, however, he’s gotten a bit bored of the same generic snack mix, and was hankering for something bolder with more spice and a more unique flavor profile. So he set out to make his own flavor-packed snack mix.

If you’ve ever searched the internet for homemade snack mix recipes, you’ve probably noticed that almost every snack mix recipe out there is some variation on the same thing (basically the original Chex Mix recipe right from the box). A little Worcestershire, a sprinkle of garlic and onion powder, butter and salt and that’s it. How boring.

Instead, let’s turn that generic flavor up a notch with a gut-punch of sesame (both oil and seeds in addition to the sesame sticks within the snack mix itself), plus soy sauce for saltiness and umami, honey for sweetness, and Korean gochugaru pepper flakes for smokey heat.

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/DNOWanx

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Lemon Curd Swirl

Creamy, dreamy, lemon-packed cheesecake bars with a crispy lemon cookie crust and a swirl of bright and tangy Meyer lemon curd… like a cross between a lemon bar and a classic cheesecake, it’s the perfect bite for springtime!

A cheesecake bar is a quicker, easier way to satisfy your cheesecake craving, without having to deal with the hassle of waterbaths or leaky springform pans. Instead, bake a thinner layer of cheesecake (swirled with Meyer lemon curd) in a standard square baking pan and then cut them into perfectly layered squares.

I’ve had a lemon cheesecake on my to-make list for some time now, and when a box of Meyer lemons showed up in the mail from my aunt in California (thanks, Sally!) I knew it was the first thing I wanted to make. (I still have a whole bunch left even after testing this one multiple times so… send your recipe ideas and requests, please!)

Anyway. Cheesecake! I knew I wanted lemon cheesecake, and I also wanted to do easier cheesecake bars rather than a full sized cheesecake.

I debated back and forth how best to make a mashup of cheesecake and lemon bars. I tested both this swirly version (loosely based on my peach cheesecake bar recipe), and a version that was basically like my favorite Meyer lemon bars with an extra layer of cheesecake in between, with a shortbread crust and a solid layer of lemon curd on top.

And while the lemon bar version was good, ultimately the lemony swirls were just too pretty to pass up (yes, I fully admit to judging a dessert by its cover, but in this case the taste certainly measured up to the appearance). With a perfectly proportioned layer of creamy cheesecake, a swirl of Meyer-lemon curd, and a crisp lemon-scented cookie crust, the final recipe is definitely one you’ll want to save and share.

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/ZhNt9gW

30 Minute Stovetop Applesauce (Small Batch)

This quick and easy stovetop applesauce comes together in under 30 minutes (including the time it takes to peel and dice the apples!) It’s a small batch recipe perfect for when you just need a few servings, and don’t have time to sit around watching a pot simmer for hours.

Lightly spiced and subtly sweetened (but also very flexible if you want to adjust the sugar and spices to taste), this applesauce is perfect by the spoonful, and also as a topping for your next batch of latkes, dolloped on french toast or waffles, or as an accompaniment to a juicy seared sirloin or pork chop.

Homemade applesauce in under 30 minutes? Sign me up!

I love just how superbly simple this recipe is. And it’s not one of those tricky recipes that claims to be 30 minutes but in reality requires 25 minutes of prep time before you even start cooking.

No, this recipe is truly a 30 minute recipe. In fact, even accounting for the time to snap photos of the process along the way (which always slows me down), my applesauce was done in exactly 27 minutes (yes, I timed it!) That includes peeling and dicing the apples, cooking them, and running it all through a food mill.

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/DvLun9t

Pistachio Butter Blossom Cookies

A classic cookie gets a pistachio twist, made with a triple dose of nutty pistachio flavor. The dark chocolate kisses pressed into the centers are melty and molten right out of the oven (my favorite way to enjoy them), but firm up again after an hour or so, making these cookies perfect for shipping or sharing.

These wickedly green cookies are buttery and tender, with a kiss of luxurious dark chocolate in the middle that would please even the grinch. I’ve packed as much pistachio flavor as I possibly can into these two-bite cookies, with pistachios in three forms: pistachio butter, pistachio flour, and pistachio extract.

The classic peanut butter blossom, now with 100% more pistachio (green is the new beige, after all).

These cookies are a result of having a glut of homemade pistachio butter leftover from my recipe testing experimentation last year. It felt too indulgent to use for something as menial as an afternoon snack (although apple slices + pistachio butter is sublime), so I was saving it for a special occasion (and by special occasion I mean a recipe as fabulous as this one).

Mission: accomplished! I just know you’ll love these cookies as much as I do.

Pistachio is such a nuanced flavor, much less in your face than peanut butter or even hazelnut, and even using pistachios in three forms (butter, flour, and extract) these cookies are still not in-your-face pistachio like, say, pistachio gelato; rather, they are more like a soft and buttery sugar cookie with an undertone of earthy, nutty pistachio and a hint of fragrant almond.

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/gJGFuiL

Flourless Hazelnut Cake with Whipped Chocolate & Nutella Ganache

Nutty, fluffy, and fully flourless (and by flourless I mean there’s no wheat flour; it’s made with naturally gluten-free hazelnut flour), this tender and flavorful hazelnut cake has a soft, supple and satisfying texture and a swirl of fluffy whipped Nutella ganache on top, with candied hazelnut spikes for a showstopping finish.

Hazelnuts have a distinctive, earthy and nutty flavor compared to other nuts, and this cake showcases a triple dose of it, with a tender cake base made with hazelnut flour (or very finely ground hazelnuts), a cloud of whipped milk chocolate and Nutella ganache, and a sprinkle of candied hazelnuts on top for a little extra crunch and pinache.

Finally, my flourless cake trifecta is complete: pistachio, almond, and now hazelnut!

I topped this stunner with a swirl of fluffy whipped Nutella ganache and a sprinkle of candied hazelnuts for added texture and crunch (and also a few hazelnut spikes because, why not?)

There’s a reason I keep returning to to this kind of cake, where the magic of nut flour (in this case, hazelnut) combines with eggs, sugar, and butter and miraculously bakes up into a fluffy, tender cake with a texture unlike anything you’ve ever had before (unless you’ve made one of my other flourless cake recipes, of course!)

I feel like most other flourless hazelnut cake recipes out there are heavy on the chocolate, more a flourless chocolate cake with an undertone of hazelnut. This recipe, on the other hand, while it does bring in some chocolate in the topping (hazelnuts and chocolate do go oh so well together after all), it is, first and foremost, a hazelnut cake, and that’s the flavor that shines.

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/KjGTorL

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Sausage Pasta

Satisfying and saucy, this perfect-for-a-weeknight pasta dish features Italian sausage (you can use chicken OR pork) and baby spinach in a creamy pink tomato sauce, with chopped sun-dried tomatoes for a tangy kick.

The showstopping sauce is surprisingly creamy, especially considering there’s only 1/2 cup of cream in it. The secret is to use mostly chicken broth and white wine and thicken it with flour, and then add just a little bit of cream added at the end—resulting in a luscious, creamy sauce that’s not overly rich or heavy. A few tablespoons of tomato paste make for a pretty pink hue and an extra layer of complex, umami flavor.

This creamy, comforting pasta has become our new go-to weeknight dinner, using our tried-and-true method for making creamy, saucy pasta dishes with surprisingly little cream.

The secret to the sauce? A white-wine-and-chicken-broth base thickened with flour, and a mere half cup of cream at the end to finish it off. This variation has a few tablespoons of tomato paste added, which provides acidity and depth of flavor as well as a pretty pink hue to the sauce.

It’s not quite a one-pot meal (you still cook the pasta in a separate pot—don’t forget to set aside a bit of pasta water!) but it’s darn close and still a very quick and simple dish to throw together with minimal mess. That is my kind of comfort food!

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/bzUyJQP