No-churn saffron pistachio ice cream recipe is golden
Though you might not associate Iran with ice cream, it’s a wildly popular summertime treat there. Bastani sonnati, a traditional Persian ice cream, is typically made from milk, eggs, sugar, rose water, pistachios and saffron. For those of us who grew up in Iran, bastani’s saturated yellow hue and fragrant flavors evoke some of the most cherished childhood memories.
Traditional ice cream, including bastani, is churned, with recipes that require tempering and cooling the custard. Though sahlab (flour made from a starchy orchid tuber), cornstarch and/or mastic (a tree resin) are often used as an emulsifier, I wanted to enjoy the nostalgia without all the fuss.
Here, I’ve simplified the recipe by leaving out eggs and using sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream for a no-churn ice cream that comes together in minutes and doesn’t require any special equipment. No ice cream maker? No problem.
Even though I have significantly simplified the process, I’ve kept the uniquely Persian flavor combination of cardamom, rose water and saffron.
You’re probably aware of saffron’s importance in Persian cuisine in sweet and savory dishes, and here it plays a starring role, infusing every spoonful with its heady, seductive fragrance, distinctive golden color and bright, floral flavor. Because of the painstaking and manual harvesting method, saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. To make 1 pound, you need about 75,000 saffron crocus flowers. Iran, where the spice is ubiquitous in the national cuisine, grows about 90 percent of the world’s saffron.
Though expensive, saffron is mighty, and a little goes a long way. You need only a dozen or so strands for an average recipe, so a small jar will last a long while.
To get the most flavor, saffron needs to be finely ground, which is typically done with a mortar and pestle, and then bloomed. I prefer to bloom saffron over ice to gently coax maximum flavor, which can be muted by hot water.
The sweetened condensed milk helps with a smooth texture, as extra moisture has been cooked out. Instead of cooking milk down when making a custard, you already have a thickened milk base waiting for you to infuse with aromatics.
Finally, folding in freshly whipped cream guarantees your ice cream will have an airy, smooth texture. Tiny air bubbles will be trapped once the ice cream solidifies and result in a luxuriously smooth mouthfeel.
If you’re worried that the rose water flavor and fragrance may be overpowering, I promise you the intensity mellows out as the dessert firms up in the freezer. Instead, you will taste harmonious flavors that, when combined, result in a distinctly Persian dessert that you’ll love.