Pistachio bird’s nests

Make these pistachio ‘bird’s nests’, made with kataifi pastry (a very finely shredded filo pastry available online) and a lemon sugar syrup for a sweet treat

Prep:30 mins
Cook:45 mins
plus 2 hrs standing and cooling

Serves 14
More effort

Nutrition per serving

kcal 326
fat 17g
saturates 9g
carbs 41g
sugars 0g
fibre 1g
protein 2g
salt 0.2g

Ingredients

40g pistachios
400g sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
300g kataifi pastry
375g butter, melted

Method

Soak the pistachios in water for 30 mins. Dissolve the sugar in 500ml water in a pan over a medium heat, then bring to a boil and bubble for 15-20 mins or until reduced and lightly syrupy. Stir in the lemon and boil for a minute more.
Cover the kataifi with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out. Take a finely twisted 30cm length of pastry and wrap it in a circular motion around two fingers into a nest shape. Transfer to a baking tray, then repeat with the rest of the pastry.
Drain the pistachios and gently press four or five into the middle of each nest. Cover the nests with a layer of baking parchment, then put another baking tray on top and put a 1kg weight on top. Leave at room temperature for 1 hr, then remove the parchment and leave for another hour to dry out.
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Pour the butter over and around the nests, so that they’re sitting in a layer of melted butter. Cook for 20-25 mins until golden brown, turning the tray from time to time to make sure the nests are evenly coloured. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then transfer to a clean baking tray and pour over the syrup. Leave to cool completely in the syrup, then serve.

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