500 gr shelled pistachios125 gr white almond powder250 gr sugar7 cl watera few drops bitter almond extract
Pound the pistachios in a heavy mortar.
This is heavy work and it takes a very long time to obtain a fine powder.
Using an electrical kitchen mixer can help but is no panacea as the pistachio crumbles will pile up on each side until the blade runs on empty space.
The paste starts to look like baklava offal.
Mix in the ground almonds.
Add one or two drops of bitter almond extract. This is a very potent substance and it will quickly overwhelm the pistachios - be careful.
In a saucepan mix 7 grams (0.7 dl) water with 250 gr sugar. Use a copper bowl or heavy bottomed saucepan or mix constantly to avoid sugar burning on hotspots. Heat until the temperature reaches 121 C°.
Pour the scalding hot sugar over the pistachio paste and mix in quickly to prevent crystallization.
We are drawing near to completion when the paste starts to look like baklava offal.
Carefully add one teaspoon water at a time and mix thoroughly until you obtain a marzipan-like texture. Do not use too much water!
Knead well with both hands to get a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
Store in a plastic bag and freeze for best preservation.
This is a rather coarse and rustic pistachio paste, but extremely tasty and great fun to make. I think with a sieve and some more work at the pestle you can get a finer texture if desired.