Saffron And Almond Ice Cream Dessert Recipes

PERSIAN ICE CREAM (BASTANI)

Steps:

• Dissolve corn starch in ½ cup milk and stir well until smooth.
• Take the remaining milk and sugar in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
• Lower the heat and whisk in the corn starch-milk mixture, stirring constantly. Simmer until it reaches a thin custard consistency or coats the back of a spoon. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool on an ice bath.
• Using a small mortar and pestle, grind the saffron with a pinch of salt until it is a fine powder. Dissolve it in the rose water and let it soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in saffron-rose water, heavy cream and vanilla until well combined.
• Chill the mixture in refrigerator for several hours/overnight or over an ice bath (by setting the saucepan in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water).
• Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the pistachios in the end just when the ice cream is starting to set. Check note below about cream chunks.

SAFFRON AND ALMOND ICE CREAM DESSERT

Steps:

• 1. In a small bowl, soak the saffron threads in the cream (or milk) about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet, dry-roasts the sliced almonds, stirring, over medium heat until golden, about 1 minute. Let cool and reserve for garnish.2. In a spice or coffee grinder, grind together the blanched almonds, pistachios, and ground cardamom seeds to make as fine as possible. (Or grind each separately, then mix together well.) Place rounded scoops of vanilla ice cream on a platter, top with the ground nut and seed mixture, and drizzle with the saffron milk. Scatter the dry-roasted almonds on top, and serve.From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SAFFRON ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Warm the milk, cream, and sugar in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the saffron. Pour into a small bowl and steep in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
• Strain the saffron-infused mixture into a medium saucepan. Rescue the threads of saffron and put them in a medium bowl. Set the strainer over the top.
• Rewarm the saffron-infused mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm saffron mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
• Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir to incorporate the saffron threads. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Be sure to scrape off any saffron threads stuck to the dasher and stir them back into the frozen ice cream.
• To make Saffron-Pine Nut Ice Cream, add 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see page 13) to the ice cream during the last 5 minutes of churning.
• Serve Saffron Ice Cream with Vanilla-Poached Quince. To poach the quince, for 6 to 8 servings you need to start out with 3 quinces (2 pounds, 1 kg). Peel and quarter the quinces, then remove the seeds and cores with a melon baller. In a nonreactive saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar, 4 cups (1 liter) water, and 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise. While the syrup is heating, cut the quinces into 1-inch (3-cm) slices.
• Add the quince slices to the syrup, cover with a round of parchment paper, and cook at a gentle simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the quince slices are rosy and tender. Let cool to room temperature, then serve the quince slices with a scoop of Saffron Ice Cream and some of the delicious poaching liquid, which can be reduced to a thick syrup before serving.