Pistachio Butter

Despite the lack of counter space in my kitchen, I recently decided it was time to buy myself a food processor. As a diehard fan of the Food Network and Cooking Channel, I have seen countless celebrity chefs chop, grind, slice, purée, and knead with these magical machines. So thanks to my Christmas bonus, I have added a lovely Cuisinart to my kitchen's arsenal.

As with most Saturday mornings, I was up before the wife. The coffee was brewing, and I was feeling a bit hungry, when I noticed a bag of pistachios sitting on the counter. "Hmm," I thought, "what can I do with those? Pistachio butter!" I hit the trusty interwebs for some ideas on how to get started, and here's what I came up with:

 

Pistachio Butter

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Pistachios (shells and skins removed)
  
• Honey (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Shell, blanch, and remove the skin of the pistachios: Remove and discard all shells. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the pistachios and boil for about one minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove one pistachio, and test for readiness--the skin should easily be removed by giving the nut a pinch. When ready, drain the pistachios, and shock them with cold water. Drain the cold cold water, and remove the skin of the remaining pistachios.
2. Transfer the pistachios to a food processor, and add the salt (I started with 2 tsp). Run the machine (you may need to add a little warm water to get it going, but be careful not to over do it, or you might end up with pistachio soup).
   
3. Once the pistachios begin to smooth out, and while the machine is still running, add the honey (I started with 2-3 tbsp).
   
4. Continue to run the processor until it is a smooth consistency. You may need to stop, and scrape the sides once or twice. Taste, and adjust the salt and honey if necessary.
   
5. Serve and enjoy, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

You can probably use the pistachio anywhere in place of peanut butter. I made myself a grilled PB&H sandwich (pistachio butter and havarti on multigrain), and I have to tell you, it was pretty damn good.