Must-try pistachio & cherry squares – recipe

Must-try delicious pistachio and cherry squares. PICTURE: Chris Alack

Must-try delicious pistachio and cherry squares. PICTURE: Chris Alack

Published Dec 15, 2016

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It’s the season for fruit, nuts and all things tasty.

With Christmas Day weeks away, Annie Bell creates delicious fruit cake recipes.

While your grandmother’s Christmas cake is a family tradition, how about starting new traditions with an alternative to the typical fruit cake?

They also don’t have to be made weeks in advance to be enjoyed in time for Christmas lunch.

READ: J'Something's stout chocolate brownies - recipe

Ingredients:

- 60g unsalted butter softened plus extra for the tin

- 1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled all butter puff pastry

- 110g golden caster sugar

- 2 medium eggs

- 200g fromage frais

- 200g shelled pistachio nuts ground

- 1 tsp baking powder sifted

- ½ tsp ground cinnamon sifted

- 100g undyed glacé cherries halved

- icing sugar for decoration

READ: Deeghuys: From their freezer to your oven

Instructions:

1.

Have ready a 23cm square brownie tin or equivalent.

2.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC.

3.

Butter the tin and line the base and sides with baking paper, snipping the corners so the sides sit flat.

4.

Cut a square of puff pastry to fit the base of the tin and lay it in place.

5.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a food processor, then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the fromage frais.

6.

Add the ground pistachios, baking powder and cinnamon.

7.

Smooth the mixture on top of the pastry, scatter over the cherries and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and firm.

8.

Leave to cool.

9.

Carefully lift the cake out of the tin using the paper sides.

10.

Dust the top with icing sugar (for a striped effect, if wished, arrange paper strips decoratively over the top and dust in between).

11.

Trim the sides and then cut into squares.

The cake will keep well in an airtight container for several days.

(Makes 16)

Daily Mail

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