I’m always excited when I get to share a recipe on here, but I’m especially excited about this one! I’m not sure why it never occurred to me to make this particular recipe before but that now I have I’m glad I did…. it’s AMAZING!

About a week ago I posted this photo on Instagram (and yes if you’re on there follow me!)

It was while we were still staying in our temporary accommodation on the farm and one day while I was reading my book I suddenly had a light bulb moment and thought I NEED TO MAKE THIS ICE CREAM! The thought literally just jumped out at me and for the whole day it’s all I could think about!

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it happen until now. First of all the fridge/freezer in that cottage we were staying in were so tiny, in fact I don’t think the freezer even worked and well you need a freezer for ice cream! There was also the fact that I didn’t have any of my own kitchen equipment, not to mention the fact that I didn’t even have the ingredients I needed on hand.

Anyway the idea for this recipe has been lingering on my mind since I posted that photo and yesterday I brought it to life :)

This ice cream originates from Iran and is called “Akbar Mashti”. I’m not sure why it’s called that, but Akbar and Mashti are both names so perhaps it was named after the creator… hmmm maybe someone can help me out with that one? In any case the origin of the name doesn’t matter because this ice cream is to-die-for!

Traditionally it is made by taking regular vanilla ice cream, heavy whipping cream which you freeze and of course the rose water, saffron and pistachio. With this method you basically freeze the cream and then cut it into squares, you then mix these squares into the vanilla ice cream which has been left to melt a little. Then you mix in the rest of the ingredients and add it all to a freezer safe container and put it back in the freezer.

In this paleo version I’ve created you still get the delicious aroma of rose water, the colour from the saffron and the crunch from the pistachios, but instead of using regular vanilla ice cream, I used canned coconut milk to create the ice cream base. I suppose if you really wanted to and if you tolerate dairy well you could add in some frozen squares of cream, raw cream would probably be best but it’s not necessary.

I hope you enjoy!

Rose water, Saffron & Pistachio Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk (I used one that was 400ml/13.5oz)
• 4 egg yolks (save the whites to eat later!)
• 4 Tbsp pure vanilla extract.
• 3 Tbsp raw honey.
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp saffron water (see instructions below).
• 1-2 Tbsp rose water.
• 100grams/4oz pistachios (save a couple for garnish).

Method:

First up make your saffron water, you can do this ahead of time. You can buy saffron threads at specialty shops, online or at a Persian grocery store.

Take a pinch of saffron threads (remember a little goes a long way) and add to a jar. Pour over 1/4 cup of just boiled water, put the lid on the jar and shake. Let it cool then place in the fridge for later. You can use this saffron water later in other dishes.

To make the base of your ice cream boil some water in a small-medium sized pot and then turn down to a simmer. You don’t want too much water in there as you will be using a double boiler method and don’t want the bottom or sides of your bowl to touch the water, you just want the heat from the water.

Once the water is at a simmer place a heat proof bowl over it and add in your coconut milk and vanilla extract. Heat the mixture but make sure it doesn’t come to a boil.

Meanwhile in another bowl mix the egg yolks and then take about 1/4-1/2 cup of the coconut milk mixture and add it to the egg yolks while simultaneously mixing. Take another 1/4-1/2 cup of the coconut milk mixture and perform this step again. What you are doing here is tempering the eggs, which means you are bringing the temperature of the cold egg yolks up slowly without cooking them.

Next take the egg mixture in the bowl and add it back to the coconut mixture in the double boiler. Continue to mix using a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes or so until you get a thick custard like consistency (if you draw a line down the back of the wooden spoon the line should stay clear with minimal liquid being drawn back into the line you created). During this step make sure the base doesn’t get too hot and again that the water doesn’t touch the bowl, if you have to you can lift the bowl off the water a little, mix and then put it back on top of the simmering water.

When it is ready you can remove the bowl from the heat and allow it to cool.

Once it has cooled (enough to be able to stick a finger in there) add in your honey (you might have to melt it a little), saffron water and rose water and mix through. Place the ice cream base into a freezer safe container and put it into the fridge to cool.

When it has sufficiently cooled you can either use an ice cream maker to make your ice cream, or if you’re like me and don’t own an ice cream maker you can take the freezer safe container you used to pour your base mixture in and put it in the freezer and stir it WELL about every 30-40 minutes for 2-3 hours or until it’s set.

If you’re using an ice cream maker you can incorporate the pistachios into the base this way. Just take your pistachios and chop them up, you want some bits that are powder like, some that are crumbled and some that are fairly whole to give you that variation in texture. Add this into your ice cream base as it running through the ice cream maker.

If you’re not using an ice cream maker then remove the container from the freezer and let it sit out for 5-10 minutes. Pour or spoon out the ice cream into your blender and blend until you get a soft, smooth consistency. Pour the mixture back into it’s container and then using a spoon mix in your chopped pistachios into the ice cream, put the lid back on the container and pop it back into the fridge… and that’s it you’re done! You can now enjoy this deliciously flavoured ice cream!

Just don’t eat it all at once ;)