Pistachio Tiramisù with White Chocolate Cream

⏱ 45 min · Serves 8

A green-hearted twist on the Italian classic: espresso-soaked savoiardi layered with silky white chocolate mascarpone cream and a rich, nutty pistachio paste, finished with a blizzard of crushed pistachios. Sweet, bitter and buttery all at once — and it only gets better overnight.

Per serving: 722 kcal · 12.5g protein · 52.0g carbs · 52.0g fat

Ingredients

• 200g shelled unsalted pistachios (plus 30g extra, chopped, to finish)
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (for the pistachio paste)
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 150g good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
• 150ml double cream (for melting the chocolate)
• 500g mascarpone, at room temperature
• 250ml double cream, cold
• 4 egg yolks
• 90g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp Marsala or amaretto (optional)
• 300ml strong espresso or very strong coffee, cooled
• 1 tbsp sugar for the coffee (optional)
• 300g savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits
• Pinch of fine sea salt

Method

1. Toast 200g pistachios in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant, then cool. Blitz in a food processor with the oil, icing sugar and a pinch of salt for 3–5 minutes, scraping down, until you have a smooth-ish glossy paste. Set aside.
2. Warm the 150ml double cream until just steaming, pour over the chopped white chocolate, wait 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water for 6–8 minutes, until pale, thick and warm to the touch (a safe zabaglione). Remove and whisk until cool.
4. Beat the mascarpone briefly to loosen, then fold in the cooled zabaglione, the white chocolate ganache and the Marsala, if using. Whip the cold 250ml cream to soft peaks and fold in gently to a light, spoonable cream.
5. Take one third of the cream and fold through 4 tbsp of the pistachio paste to make a pistachio cream. Keep the rest plain white chocolate cream.
6. Stir the coffee with sugar, if using, in a shallow dish. Dip each savoiardi for 1–2 seconds per side — quick, they should stay firm in the middle — and line the base of a 20x25cm dish.
7. Spread over half the pistachio cream, then half the white chocolate cream. Add a second layer of dipped biscuits, then the remaining pistachio cream and finish with the rest of the white chocolate cream, smoothed flat.
8. Dot the top with teaspoons of the remaining pistachio paste and swirl lightly with a skewer. Cover and chill at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
9. Just before serving, scatter generously with the chopped pistachios. Serve in squares, straight from the fridge.