Rosewater Saffron Ice Cream
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Bastani. I discovered this ice cream a few years ago, on a date, of all places :)
While the guy I met then did not serve this for dessert (sadly), he mentioned that I smelled like ice cream - which I found rather odd as I knew I was wearing a rosewater-saffron perfume - a flavour of ice cream I’d never heard of before.
My foodie self therefore went on a quest to find out what it was all about. It turns out that at the heart of every delicious scoop of Bastani lies saffron, the precious spice that's as valuable as gold in the culinary world. Its earthy, floral aroma and striking golden hue infuse the ice cream with a distinct Persian touch. Alongside saffron, you'll find the sweet notes of rosewater, another staple of Persian desserts, adding a subtle fragrant undertone that dances on your taste buds.
Obviously, bastani was nowhere to be found in Switzerland, except for few specialty stores that sell Persian and Middle Eastern food. I therefore set on a quest to make it myself. I pulled out one of my favourite Persian food books, Bottom of The Pot (DE, EN), as well as perused the mighty internet for days until coming to the perfect balance.
A lot of recipes use egg yolks in bastani but I find they take away from the subtle flavours of the ice cream. Naz Deravian uses a brilliant technique for thickening the ice cream with cornstarch, which make it creamy while also showcasing the incredible flavours. The cream cheese brings extra creaminess without any detectable taste.
I like to add chopped pistachios to my Bastani, completing the holy triad of Persian cuisine: saffron-rosewater-pistachio. The earthy flavour and delicious crunch enhance it even further. Often this ice cream is served sandwiched between wafers or biscuits but I like it plain, sprinkled with more chopped pistachios.
Let me know if you make it - it is an absolute delight, not too sweet, perfect for the hot summer days we are still enjoying; and if you liked it, subscribe to my newsletter for more!
Ingredients (makes 1 liter)
Adapted from Bottom of The Pot
450ml whole milk
4 tsp cornstarch + 50 ml milk
320ml heavy cream
130g sugar
3 tbsp cream cheese
1 pinch of salt
1 heavy pinch (~1/2 tsp) saffron strands
3 tbsp rosewater
60g pistachio kernels
Start by infusing the saffron. In a pestle and mortar combine the pinch of salt and saffron. Grind into a powder (it doesn’t have to be very fine). Add this to a small bowl with the rosewater and let infuse for a few minutes.
Toast the pistachios, whole, for a few minutes (be careful, as they burn very easily). Let cool and roughly chop.
Make your ice cream. In a pan, combine the milk, cream and sugar over a medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and 50ml milk into a slurry.
When the milk and cream mixture has reached boiling point lower the heat to a simmer and add the slurry. Mix well with a whisk until it thickens. Add the cream cheese and mix well until incorporated.
Bring the pan off the heat and add in your saffron-rosewater infusion. Mix well and let cool. When at room temperature transfer to a container and keep in the fridge until thoroughly chilled.
When ready to churn, do so according to the ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions. In the last 10 minutes of churning add the roughly chopped pistachios.
Your ice cream can be enjoyed straight out of the ice cream maker but it’s probably best to keep it in the freezer another hour or two until it firms up well.
When ready to serve bring it out of the freezer for 10-15 minutes until scoopable.
Garnish with a few chopped pistachios and enjoy!