Pistachio & raspberry pithiviers

Method

• step 1

  Whizz together the pistachios, sugar, butter, 1 egg and the flour in a food processor to an almost smooth frangipane.

• step 2

  Roll the pastry into a ball (to break up some of the layers), then roll out very thinly on a flour-dusted surface. Cut out 4 x 11cm circles and 4 x 13cm circles – you’ll probably need to re-roll once. Save all the trimmings.

• step 3

  Put 6 raspberries in the centre of each of the 4 smaller circles, then dollop on some pistachio frangipane. Using a small palette or round-bladed knife, spread and smooth the mixture into a dome, covering and enclosing the raspberries – leave a good 1cm of pastry clear around the edge. Beat the second egg and brush a little around the pastry edges. Carefully lay the larger circles of pastry on top, easing and pressing them over the filling bit by bit, all the way around, to squeeze out any air. Reshape the pithiviers to give a nice round dome shape, press the edges to seal, then trim any excess pastry around the edges if you need to. Brush egg over all the pithiviers.

• step 4

  Decorate the tops by lightly scoring a pattern with the tip of a sharp knife. Pinch the edges to seal, then crimp to give a fluted edge. If you like, brush egg over some of the rolled-out trimmings, then brush with edible glitter. Use letter cutters to cut out the initials of your guests, or any other shapes you like. Spray other trimmings with gold spray and stamp out more shapes. Decorate with the shapes and cover loosely with cling film. Chill for at least 2 hrs, but more if you can. Can be made 1 day in advance.

• step 5

  Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the pithiviers for 20-25 mins until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.