Bethany's Vegan Kitchen

The internet has been in a frenzy for pistachio chocolate for a while lately, and it made me wonder what blending pistachio butter into a chocolate mouse would be like. Delicious, as it happens. Which led me to this recipe for a really decadent and indulgent, yet surprisingly simple to make mousse. You could opt to buy pistachio butter, but I’ll include how I make it. It’s also much cheaper to make your own, and you can use this method to make other nut butters too

Firstly, make the pistachio butter

You’ll need;

1. 200g roasted, shelled pistachios. 400g of pistachios will weigh roughly 200g once they’ve been shelled

Method;

• If you’re using roasted pistachios in their shells, start by shelling them. Then place the nuts into a towel and gather the ends of the towel together. Holding the towel closed in one hand, use the other to roll the nuts around inside the towel, this will break off and free any loose skin. Remove the nuts from the towel, leaving the dried skins behind
• If you’re using raw, shelled pistachios, weigh out 200g of pistachios and then roast them. You can do this by adding them to a dry frying pan over a medium heat for around three to five minutes, stirring often. Or lay them out in an even layer and then microwave them on high in one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. You can also pop them into an air fryer at 200°C for five minutes. Whichever method you use, you’ll know when the nuts are done when they develop a nutty, toasted aroma. Leave them to cool to room temperature before blending
• Place the nuts into a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. At first they will begin to resemble a dry, flour like consistency, but keep blending and you’ll achieve the right consistency for nut butter. That’s all there is to it. You don’t need any additional oil, or even salt. Using roasted nuts means they already have a fantastic flavour without adding any additional seasoning to the nut butter

Now you can make the mousse

Serves; Six Prep time; 10 minutes, plus three hours for the mousse to set

You’ll need;

1. 300g silken tofu
2. 200g melted dark chocolate
3. Four tablespoons of icing sugar
4. Five tablespoons of pistachio butter
5. A good pinch of salt
6. 20g finely chopped pistachios

Method;

• Add the tofu, chocolate, icing sugar, pistachio butter and salt into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Once blended, spoon into six small bowls
• Top each mousse with some of the finely chopped pistachios, then pop them in the fridge for at least three hours to set

Making Your Own Nut Butter

As I mentioned above, you can use the same method to make other nut butters. I bought roasted pistachios in their shells, then shelled them myself, as it’s a cheaper option. Especially if you’re buying roasted, unsalted pistachios from Aldi in the UK. But buying raw, shelled pistachios and roasting them yourself, would likely save on time. I would always recommend roasting nuts before blending. Not only does roasting nuts give them a better flavour, it also lends a better texture to the resulting nut butter. Personally, I like to roast raw nuts in a dry pan over a medium heat, or in the microwave. As long as you keep an eye on them, using either method, and regularly stop to check on them (every minute or so) then you’ll have perfectly roasted nuts every time