Pistachio Sable perfection

Asked on 13 Nov 2020 by Eleleanor

Hello, I recently tried making the pistachio sablés from the book 'Happy Christmas' and had a complete failure! They looked more like parmesan crisps on the baking tray, and crumbled completely when I tried lifting them off. They still tasted delicious, and I've saved the crumble to add as a crunchy topping to my next cheesy gratin (I think this will be amazing, and may well become a staple here). But what could have happened? I should add, I tried it twice, the second time at a slightly lower temperature. Thank you!

Lindsey, Food Editor replied

Hello,

I’m not sure what has gone wrong.

I know that recipe works! Could it be that you have been cutting them too thin? Did you use a fan oven? (If you do you need to reduce the temperature by 20C)

There is a you tube video of Delia making these. It’s called Delia’s Classic Christmas Part 3 and it is about 2 ½ minutes in. If you watch Delia making them it might help you to see the consistency etc.

Kind regards

Lindsey

Eleleanor replied

Lindsey,

Thank you for your reply. I'll look at the video and have another go at making the sablés. Third time lucky. In the meantime, I used the crumbled mixture from my two failures as a crunchy topping for a ham and leek cheesy gratin and it was divine. So that goes into my repertoire of favourites. Sadly it seems I can't attach a picture so you'll have to take my word for it.