Pistachio custard filo tarts

Think of this dairy-free dessert as pistachio baklava, with a twist.

Pistachio custard filo tarts. Credit: Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey

• serves

  6

• prep

  40 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Filo cups

• 2 cups coconut oil
• 8 sheets filo pastry

Toasted pistachios

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 cups slivered blanched pistachio

Vegan pistachio custard

• 1 cup toasted pistachios
• 2 cups macadamia milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornflour + splash macadamia milk, mixed to make a slurry (no lumps)

Syrup

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 oranges, juice and peel

Pistachio jam

• 1 cup toasted pistachios
• ½ cup prepared syrup
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Pistachio crumb

• 1 cup toasted pistachios
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. For the filo cups. melt 2 cups of coconut oil. Layer 8 sheets of filo, with coconut oil brushed in each layer.
3. With a circle cookie cutter, 5cm in diameter, cut 6 circles from the layered filo. Brush some coconut oil in a multi muffin tray and gently press each filo disc into a muffin holes, making sure they are tightly and evenly inside the muffin cups. (Don’t throw away the leftover pastry, bake it and use it for decoration or a snack.) Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, set aside to cool.
4. Pan fry 3 cups of slivered pistachios and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil for about 2-3 minutes, it needs to have a roasted aroma.
5. For the vegan pistachio custard, in a blender, put 1 cup of the toasted slivered pistachio, the macadamia milk and the sugar. Blend until the pistachio is well combined, very smooth and not grainy. It should have a milkshake consistency.
6. Then pour the blended mixture and the cornflour mixture into a saucepan and heat until it becomes thick. Once thickened, set aside in the fridge to cool.
7. To prepare the syrup, in a saucepan the sugar, water and juice of 2 oranges plus a couple of pieces of orange rind. Heat until boiling then simmer for a further 5 minutes to thicken up.
8. For the pistachio jam, in a blender, add 1 cup of the toasted slivered pistachio, ½ cup of the prepared syrup, plus coconut oil, cinnamon and salt. Blend until combined.
9. To make the pistachio crumb, in a blender blitz remaining cup of pistachios with a pinch of salt to a crumb.
10. To assemble the tarts, place a filo cup on a plate, then add a spoonful of the pistachio jam, then a spoonful of the pistachio custard and sprinkle with some roasted pistachio crumb. You could also decorate with some of the extra baked filo.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.