Persian Saffron Ice Cream

by Amazon al Dente at 10:37 PM PDT, June 15, 2009

Given the hot weather, it comes as no surprise that everyone's talking about ice cream. Instead of vanilla or chocolate, might I suggest saffron?

If you have access to Minoo Bakery in Seattle, or Mashti Malone's Ice Cream in Los Angeles, then you can treat yourself to their Persian ice cream, and you're all set.

If not, a wonderful new children's cookbook, Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year, offers up Cream Crunch Ice Cream, a delicious alternative to bubblegum.

Cookbook author Najmieh Batmanglij is an authority on Persian cuisine, and her cookbook shares Persian culture and cuisine in a kid-friendly format that will delight and inspire kids of all ages.

Cream Crunch Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Crunchy Frozen Cream
1 cup thick cream or whipping cream

Ice Cream
4 tablespoons sahlab mixture (Cortas brand)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons cooking rose water
1/2 mastic ground in a mortar and pestle with 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios broken up

Directions:

Crunchy Cream
1. Pour the thick cream into a 4-by-6 inch dish lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer.

Ice Cream
1. In a small bowl dissolve the sahlab in 1 cup cold milk and mix until quite smooth. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of milk, 1 cup of cream, and the sugar and bring to a boil.

3. Add the sahlab mixture, salt, saffron mixture, and mastic and bring back to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes, until thick enough for it to coat the back of a spoon.

5. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

6. Pour the mixture into an cream machine's container.

7. Follow the instructions for the ice cream machine.

8. Remove the frozen cream from the freezer. Break it up into 1/4 -inch pieces and add it to the finished ice cream. Add the pistachios and continue to turn in the machine for another 20 seconds.

9. Transfer the ice cream into a plastic container and cover tightly. Freeze the ice cream for at least 1 hour to allow it to develop texture and flavor.

Makes 1 pint

Adapted from Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year, Najmieh Batmanglij, Mage Publishers, 2008