Osteria alle Testiere pistachio cake with pistachio gelato

SERVES 8 // PREP TIME 30 MINS // COOK 1 HR 30 MINS (PLUS CHILLING, COOLING)

“Osteria alle Testiere’s desserts are some of the very best in Venice, and none more so than their pistachio cake,” says Nino Zoccali. Start this recipe one day ahead to make the pistachio gelato.

300 gm pistachio kernels, skin on 6 eggs 250 gm caster sugar 150 gm softened butter, plus extra for greasing 100 gm potato flour, sifted 1 tsp baking powder, sifted Icing sugar, for dusting PISTACHIO GELATO 500 ml (2 cups) milk 5 egg yolks 50 gm honey 150 gm (2/3 cup) caster sugar 100 gm (¾ cup) pistachio nuts, peeled 150 ml pouring cream 2 tbsp pure pistachio paste (see note)

1 For pistachio gelato, bring milk to a simmer in a pan over low heat. Whisk egg yolks, honey and sugar in a heatproof bowl until thick and creamy. Pour milk over egg mixture and stir until combined. Place the heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and, stirring regularly, bring to 85°C on a pastry thermometer (15-20 minutes; the mixture should coat the back of a spoon). Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a clean container and chill overnight in the refrigerator. Process pistachios in a food processor until a fine meal. Lightly whip cream and fold in pistachio meal and pistachio paste.

Place chilled mixture in a gelato machine and churn until just set, then add cream and pistachio mix and churn again until set (2 minutes). Transfer gelato into a plastic or metal container and store in the freezer until ready to use.

2 Preheat oven to 160°C and grease and line a 26cm-round cake tin. Process pistachios in a food processor until a fine meal. Beat eggs and sugar until pale, then beat in butter until well combined. Combine potato flour and baking powder and slowly add to mixture, then gradually stir in pistachio meal. 3 Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake until cooked and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

(55 minutes to 1 hour). Allow cake to cool, then remove from the tin. Once completely cool, dust cake with icing sugar, slice and serve with gelato.

Note Pure pistachio paste is available from Natural Moreish (maxriver.com.au).