Labneh Ice Cream
With Apricot Sauce and Pistachios
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support my website and allows me to continue creating valuable content for you. Thank you for your support!
A few years ago, mid-pandemic, I saw a friend on Facebook post about how she was looking for the perfect ice cream maker. She wanted to make keto ice cream and was looking for a self cooling model. People started chipping in with ideas and recommendations and I started thinking how I may need one myself.
Over the years I had had a few ice cream makers, some with a freezing bowl, some self cooling, but they all somehow ended up forgotten and unused (and the self cooling model died on me, twice).
I was however ready to give home made ice cream one last chance. I purchased the mammoth (it weighs about 12 kg) and made ice cream for some friends. And see, that was my mistake. Ice cream is addictive. Home made ice cream, even more so. My friends definitely started liking me more but also started having ideas for what ice cream flavour I could make next. It's a vicious circle, really.
So here I am, 3 years later, still using this particular ice cream maker which even sings when the ice cream is ready. And 3 years later I'm still using David Lebovitz's phenomenal book "The Perfect Scoop" as inspiration for what I'd like to churn next.
This weekend we had guests who requested, you guessed it, ice cream for dessert. As the menu was middle eastern inspired I decided to make labneh ice cream with saffron honey and roasted apricots. Sprinkled with pistachios it is a dream to make and even more so a dream to eat.
LABNEH ICE CREAM
Ingredients (makes 1 liter)
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop
600g labneh (you can find this in middle eastern stores or make your own - I skip the salt when making my own for this recipe; full fat greek yoghurt would also work)
250ml heavy cream
80ml runny honey (it's easiest to combine with the rest if you warm it slightly; I used acacia honey as I love its mild floral flavour)
50g sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
optional: a few drops rosewater
For the apricot sauce:
6-10 apricots, depending on size
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
2-3 tbsp sugar, to taste (sometimes apricots can be quite sour and may need a bit more sweetness)
splash of water
Mix all of the ingredients well in a large bowl. Chill the mixture in the fridge until ready to churn. Freeze in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer instructions. When ready to serve, note that it should sit outside of the freezer for a good 15 minutes in order to become scoopable.
To garnish:
Apricot Sauce:
Split the apricots in 2 and remove the pip. Quarter them.
To a medium saucepan add apricots, sugar, vanilla and splash of water. Warm over medium heat gently until the apricots soften and become deliciously saucy. This should take about 10 minutes. Keep stirring so they don’t catch on the bottom.
Pistachios: toast pistachios in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes. Chop and reserve.
Serve ice cream with slightly warm apricot sauce and sprinkled with pistachios. Become your friends' new favourite person. Enjoy!
Let me know if you make it and subscribe for more mouthwatering ice cream recipes!