Bignè with Pistachio Custard

Bignè are always a crowd pleaser, whether you make them small or large. You may know them as profiteroles, or cream puffs, but basically they are Choux Pastry puffs filled with different flavoured custard or chantilly cream. In Italy these ‘puffs’ are known as Bignè and they can be found with different flavoured fillings such as chocolate, hazelnut, zabaione, coffee or pistachio. For this recipe, I will celebrate a pistachio flavoured custard filling.

Choux pastry is a light, airy and crisp pastry, often used as a shell to house lovely cream fillings. It is also the pastry used to make churros. It is cooked twice, once on the stovetop and once in the oven. (or sometimes fried.. again, churros). Choux pastry relies on rising steam to create a hollow centre and the airiness is caused because the high water content in choux turns into steam during baking and this forces the pastry shell to ‘puff’.

Making choux pastry isn’t at all difficult, just make sure you have all your ingredients prepared and ready before you start. I also suggest you read through the recipe a couple of times to understand the order of the steps before you begin. Once you have mastered making choux pastry puffs, you could then create a tall croquembouche for the next family celebration!

Pistachio Custard Filling

• 4 egg yolks
• 40g flour ’00’
• 100g sugar
• 500ml of milk
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) of pistachio paste

1. Put the egg yolks in a small saucepan, add the flour and sugar and beat them by hand with a whisk to obtain a thick and pale mixture.
2. Pour the milk into another small saucepan and remove as soon as it starts to simmer and just before it reaches a boil. Remove from the heat.
3. Add a little milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisk well to obtain a smooth, lump-free consistency. Pour the remaining amount of milk in two parts, whisking well after each addition.
4. Return saucepan to the stove over a medium-low heat and stir continuously until the custard thickens and starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and add the pistachio paste, stirring gently to incorporate it completely.
5. Transfer the custard into a glass bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, ensuring it sits on the surface of the custard. Allow to cool completely and refrigerate until required. When cold, transfer the custard to a sac à poche with a small, round piping tip (.5cm)

Bignè (choux pastry)

Choux Pastry

• 120ml water
• 60g butter, room temperature
• 75g ‘0’ sifted flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs

1. Weigh and prepare all the ingredients.
2. Boil the water, butter and salt together in a saucepan.
3. Away from the heat, incorporate the flour all at once. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean – this will probably take less than a minute.
4. Beat the eggs well, then add them into the mixture – a little at a time, mixing each addition in thoroughly before adding the next. You must obtain a smooth, soft and glossy paste.
5. Prepare a pastry bag with a smooth piping tip of about 12mm and form the puffs on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, leaving 2.5 cm between them. With a lightly wet spoon, lightly crush the surfaces to dampen the tips of the puffs.
6. Bake at 200 °C in a static oven for about 15 minutes, until they are golden brown. Then lower the oven to 180 °C and cook for another 20-25 minutes. Take the puffs and pierce them on the bottom to let out any steam. Return them to the oven and cook again for 3-5 minutes with a ventilated oven at 160°C and a slightly open door to allow the humidity to exit. (Cook the choux in the static oven and let it dry in the fan oven).
7. Allow the choux pastry puffs to cool completely before filling them with pistachio custard.

Pistachio Icing

• 250g icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons of pistachio paste
• Hot water

1. Sift the icing sugar and then add the pistachio paste.
2. Slowly add hot water a little at a time and mix well.
3. Continue until the icing is smooth and sufficiently thick to frost the cream puffs.

Assembly of the Bignè

1. Take each choux pastry puff and make a hole in the side of each one with the nozzle of the piping tip.
2. Dip each choux puff into the icing., and then pipe the pistachio custard into each one. Sprinkle with crushed pistachio nuts and serve immediately.

Bignè con Crema Pasticcera al Pistacchio

Crema Pasticcera al Pistacchio

• 4 tuorli d’uovo
• 40g farina ‘00’
• 100g zucchero
• 500ml di latte
• 2 cucchiai (30ml) di pasta al pistacchio Mamì

1. Mettere i tuorli in un pentolino, unite la farina e lo zucchero e batterli con una frusta per ottenere un composto biancastro.
2. Versare il latte in una casseruola e portare a ebollizione.  Aggiungete poco latte al composto di tuorli in modo da ottenere una cremina omogenea e senza grumi.  Versare la restante quantità di latte e mescolare bene.
3. Mettere sul fuoco a fiamma bassa e mescolare fino a che non si addensa.  Togliere la crema dal fuoco e aggiungere la pasta di pistacchio e incorporatela delicatamente.
4. Versare la crema in una ciotola e farla raffreddare mettendo sulla superficie la pellicola da cucina.  Quando fredda, trasferire la crema pasticcera in un sac à poche munita di un beccuccio stretto e liscio.

Bignè – Pasta da Choux

• 120ml acqua
• 60g burro, temperatura ambiente
• 75g farina ‘0’, setacciato
• 1 pizzico di sale
• 2 uova

1. Pesare e preparare tutti gli ingredienti.
2. Far bollire l’acqua, il burro e il sale in una pentola.
3. Lontano dal fuoco, incorporare la farina tutta in una volta.
4. Mescolare e fare asciugare, fino a ottenere una pasta omogenea. Rimettere la pentola sul fuoco mescolando continuamente con un cucchiaio di legno e fare cuocere l’impasto fino a quando tenderà a staccarsi dalle pareti della pentola. Togliere dal fuoco e lasciar intiepidire per qualche minuto.
5. Aggiungere un uovo alla volta, mescolando bene dopo ognuno.  Dovete ottenere una pasta liscia, morbida e omogenea.
6. Preparare un sac à poche con un beccuccio liscio da circa 12mm e formare i bignè sopra una teglia foderata con la carta da forno.  Con un cucchiaio leggermente bagnato schiacciate leggermente le superficie in modo da smorzare la punta dei bignè.
7. Cuocere a 200°C in forno statico per circa 15 minuti, fino a che non saranno ben dorati.   Poi, abbassare il forno a 180°C e cuocere per altri 20-25 minuti.  Prelevare i bignè e bucateli sul fondo.  Informare di nuovo i bignè per 3-5 minuti con forno ventilato a 160°C e sportello leggermente aperto per permettere l’umidità di usicre. (Cuocere il bignè nel forno statico e fare asciugare nel forno ventilato.
8. Lasciare che i bignè saranno completamente freddi prima di farcirli con la crema pasticcera al pistacchio.

Glassa

• 250g zucchero a velo
• 2 cucchiaini di pasta di pistacchio
• Acqua calda q.b.

1. Settacciare il zucchero a velo.  Aggiungere la pasta di pistacchio.
2. Piano piano, aggiungere l’acqua calda poco alla volta e mescolare bene.  Continuare finchè la glassa non è liscia e sufficientemente denso per glassare i bignè.

Montaggio dei Bignè

1. Prendere ogni bignè e con un beccucio per sac à poche liscio, fare un buco su ogni lato dei bignè.
2. Mettere circa un cucchiaino di glassa sopra ogni bignè e spargere i granelli di pistacchio sopra.
3. Reimpire ogni bignè con la crema al pistacchio e servire subito.