Delightfully Pistachio
A Sweet Revolution: The Modification of the Traditional Neapolitan Delight
We are facing a bold culinary experiment that reinvents one of the most iconic desserts of Naples: the deliziosa. Imagine replacing a key ingredient, hazelnuts, with something completely different, like pistachios. This is not just a daring experiment, but it is also a celebration of the limitless possibilities that cooking offers us.
Before diving into our culinary adventure, let’s take a step back to explore the roots of this beloved dessert. The Neapolitan deliziosa is known for its soft texture and rich taste, characteristics accentuated by the traditional use of hazelnuts. This dessert has spanned centuries, becoming a symbol of Neapolitan culinary wealth and creativity.
The decision to modify the original recipe stems from curiosity and the desire to create new combinations. The idea was to see how such a significant change could influence the overall dessert experience, both in terms of taste and texture. It was a bold choice, motivated by the desire to create something unique while maintaining a connection to tradition.
The choice of pistachio was not random. This nut is known for its distinctive flavor and its ability to enrich dishes with a new dimension of taste. By using pistachio instead of hazelnuts, the goal was to introduce a note of freshness and lightness, transforming the dessert into a renewed and surprising taste experience, and why not, even more summery…
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: With these quantities, you will get ten delizie about 3 inches in diameter
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 shortcrust pastry (Follow the recipe)
- 600 g pastry cream
- 300 g butter
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 1 vial rum flavor
- to taste chopped pistachios
Tools
All the tools I use in the kitchen can be found by following this link
Steps
These are simple steps, just to spend some time in harmony and relaxation…and as I always suggest…A good background music
First of all, I recommend taking the butter (the amount for the cream) out of the fridge to soften it a bit. Prepare the shortcrust pastry as per instructions; I wanted to create a different weave for the top part to add an extra touch of elegance, cut the discs and bake them, I chose to make discs but you can choose the shape
While your base is cooking, don’t let them brown too much otherwise they would become drier; prepare the pastry cream so it has more time to cool
Beat the butter and powdered sugar until you get a soft, white, and frothy mixture, then keep it in the fridge until use, covered with plastic wrap; when the cream has cooled, combine the buttercream and the rum vial, mix carefully until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
The shortcrust pastry base is ready, just spread the cream on half of the discs and cover…In this photo, you see the colored edges of the upper disc…When I am in the kitchen, someone might ring the bell or the phone…This situation might be familiar to you…They cooked a little more, so I recommend not letting them color too much…I know the difference, but I had no other photos for the blog, so I chose to use it even if not perfect, after all, I believe that small mishaps can happen to everyone👍🤷♀️
With the knife, level the edges of the delizie and roll in chopped pistachios, let them rest in the fridge before serving
Dust with powdered sugar…They are delightfully good!
They keep in the fridge and are enjoyed with a glass of dry white or sparkling wine. A variant I feel like giving, although it changes the dessert, but I find it extremely good! … Replace the shortcrust with pancakes…You won’t abandon them anymore!
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The result of this modification was pleasant. The pistachio gave the dessert a slightly softer texture and a rich but balanced taste, with fresh notes that pleasantly contrast with the sweetness of the base.
Naturally, before deciding if the idea was good just for my tastes, I wanted to have it tasted by those who ruthlessly reject many inventions but allow me to improve each of my new ones.
The reaction was positive, so I can offer you something new. The taste of pistachio added an unexpected touch that elevated the dessert to a new level. This positive note was further confirmation that experimentation in the kitchen never ends, pushing us to reinvent traditions.
Generally, I am attached to the traditional recipe, and precisely for this reason, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone to create new combinations. This shows me every time that change allows us to explore new lands, staying anchored to history and culinary tradition. Modifying a classic like the Neapolitan deliziosa, by me who has a family with Neapolitan origins, allowed me to go further, but the result enriched my culinary heritage with a new delight. And it is precisely these small changes that make us reflect on not completely abandoning what we know, using it as a base for our knowledge, allowing new points of view.
