Pomegranate Crema, Pistachio Praline

We ate heaps of pomegranates in Samos and saw them all over the place in Spain and Portugal. We love the combination of pomegranate and pistachio – they’re pretty much buddies. We did a lot of different desserts in Samos playing around with two ingredients. When pomegranates are in season, you’ll always see them on our menu.

pomegranate seeds, to serve

PISTACHIO PRALINE

75 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) pistachio nuts, roasted

345 g (12 oz/1½ cups) caster (superfine) sugar

CREMA

1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) thickened cream

115 g (4 oz/½ cup caster (superfine) sugar

¼ vanilla pod, split and scraped

3 gelatin leaves, soaked

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

LEMON SYRUP

6 tablespoons Sugar Syrup (see below)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

To make the pistachio praline, place the pistachios on a baking tray lined with baking paper and set aside.

Put the sugar in a small, heavy-based saucepan and add enough water to cover the sugar. Stir gently, then place over a high heat. Cook until the sugar begins to change colour, trying not to stir or allow the sugar to crystallize. Once you have an even, dark caramel, carefully pour the mixture over the pistachios. Leave to cool completely before roughly chopping with a knife.

For the crema, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a heavy-based saucepan set over a low heat. Heat gently, to no more than 50°C (122°F), and stir occasionally to help the sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes, then squeeze any excess water from the gelatin leaves and stir them into the mixture with the pomegranate molasses. Stir well, then pass the crema through a fine-mesh sieve and pour into serving bowls. Allow to cool and set in the fridge before serving.

While the crema sets, make the lemon syrup. Combine the sugar syrup and lemon juice in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, sprinkle a generous amount of the chopped praline, lemon syrup and pomegranate seeds on top of the crema.

SUGAR SYRUP
Prepare a sugar syrup by combining equal parts caster (superfine) sugar and boiling water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.