Pistachio Frangipane Croissants

One of the Best Things I’ve Ever Made!

I’ve been making David Lebovitz’s recipe for almond croissants for years. It was a revelation for me to learn from him that these are normally made in France using day old croissants. I simply buy a dozen croissants, usually the inexpensive ones from Costco, and let them sit out for a couple of days in order to get a little stale. As much as I love the almond version, I’ve been wanting one made with pistachios, so I got to work on developing my own recipe.

Coming up with the frangipane filling was my first goal. I began by grinding roasted and salted pistachios in my food processor. That worked well, but I found that if I used only ground pistachios in the frangipane, it ended up with a texture I didn’t like. It wasn’t quite creamy enough. So, after several attempts I ended up adding some almond flour and a little bit of all purpose flour, along with the typical butter, sugar, and eggs. This was the sweet spot. I had the luscious texture I was going for. 

Looking to enhance the pistachio flavor I ended up adding a tablespoon of roasted pistachio oil .* Forget pistachio extracts. I’m convinced there isn’t a good one available. I think it’s because the inherent flavor of pistachios is very mild, so other ingredients are added and none have a true pistachio flavor. They’ve all been thrown in the trash. I think that’s also why so many pistachio ice creams have that funny off-putting flavor. It’s not really pistachio flavor at all. Good quality pistachio oil * was the answer. It’s nutty and rich and has no artificial ingredients. But if you don’t have it or feel like buying it, you can eliminate it and still have delicious croissants.

Then I delved into the flavors of the syrup that is spooned on each croissant half. This syrup has 2 equal purposes. Of course, flavor is important, but it also serves to moisten the stale croissants. It’s just a simple syrup to which flavorings are added. For instance, amaretto or rum is added to the almond version. 

I thought and thought about what flavorings to use with pistachio and tried them 2 different ways. For one, I added Kirschwasser and for the other I used St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur. They’re both good, but I preferred the St. Germain because of its subtle fruit and floral qualities. In fact, I ended up adding a tiny bit of rosewater to play up the floral aspect of the elderflower flavor and some fresh lemon juice to keep it bright. The flavors of the syrup don’t predominate. They’re simply part of the whole. 

It will seem like you’re using a lot of syrup when you start spooning it on the sliced croissants, but trust me, it’s not too much. After smearing some of the frangipane on the insides of the croissants, you slather the rest on the tops, sprinkle on chopped pistachios and bake them for 25 minutes. I added a few tiny dried rose petals to the tops when they came out of the oven, but this was only for aesthetic purposes. I just thought it looked pretty and played into the rosewater I used. 

How do I feel about the overall end result? It’s one of those things that ended up being nothing like I had originally envisioned. I had been thinking of straightforward flavored pistachio frangipane croissants, when in reality they ended up being so much more than that. Yes, there is the subtle nuttiness of the pistachios, but the flavors of the syrup give them a light fruity and floral aspect that is just beautiful. The flavors work perfectly with all the buttery richness and they end up being like nothing I’ve ever tasted. I’m so thrilled!

Now, you could certainly cut this recipe in half and make only 6 croissants, but I figure if I’m going to make the effort, why not make a dozen and pop them in the freezer. I like to reheat them in my counter top oven so they get all nice and crisp and taste exactly as they did when they were freshly baked. So, there you have it folks. A recipe of which I’m particularly proud.