How to Make Persian Saffron Ice Cream
Here's a delicious recipe of Persian Saffron Ice Cream from Saffron: A Global History by Ramin Ganeshram.
Total time
10 minutes
Prep time
10-15 minutes
Amount
6-8 serves
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (375 ml) heavy (double) cream
- 1½ cups (375 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground saffron
- 2 tbsp food-grade rose water such as Cortas or Sadaf brands
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
- ¼ cup (27 g) sliced pistachios
- Food-grade rose petals for garnish (available in Middle Eastern shops)
- Combine the cream, milk, sugar, salt and saffron in a large, deep saucepan over a medium heat.
- Whisk well and keep whisking until the sugar dissolves, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, without allowing the mixture to boil, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the rose water and vanilla and mix well. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a large, heatproof bowl and slowly pour in the hot-milk mixture while whisking vigorously.
- Continue pouring and whisking until all the milk mixture is used. Return the mixture back to the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over a medium-low heat and cook, whisking until the mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and allow to cool slightly. Cover the ice-cream custard mixture with plastic wrap, placing the wrap right against the top of the mixture, and refrigerate until cold.
- Add the pistachio slices to the ice-cream custard and pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice-cream maker.
- Churn the saffron ice-cream custard in an ice-cream maker following the manufacturer’s directions.
- When the ice cream is hard, scoop into a quart (litre) container and freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Serve garnished with rose petals.
Saffron: A Global History by Ramin Ganeshram
by Ramin Ganeshram
‘Outstanding’ Wall Street Journal
‘Backbone of the food history section’ Bookseller
‘These are food memoirs, salacious and exotic, colourful, powdered, sweet, greasy and globe-trotting’ Chicago Tribune
‘Exquisite. A brilliant and informative book’ Monica Bhide
The dramatic history of the world’s most precious spice
Often worth its weight in gold, saffron has enchanted civilizations for centuries with its vibrant sunset hue and enchanting aroma. From the cave art of ancient Mesopotamia to the frescoes of Santorini, the dyed wrappings of Egyptian mummies, and the saffron robes of Buddhist monks, this extraordinary spice has left its golden thread woven through history, culture, and cuisine. It has been the catalyst for trade wars, as well as smuggling schemes, and shaped medicine and cosmetics. Replete with delicious recipes and surprising anecdotes, Saffron: A Global History traces the many paths taken by the spice, revealing the allure of an ingredient sought globally by merchants, chefs, artists, scientists, clerics, traders, warriors and black market smugglers.