Rose & Pistachio Crunch Ice Cream
Want a refresher on how to make this?
Makes 1.5 quarts | Prep: 35 min | Bake: 15 min | Oven: 325°
INGREDIENTS
Ice Cream
3 cups half and half
Petals from 4 roses, washed
6 egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
½ teaspoon rose water
½ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon ice cream stabilizer (optional)
Pistachio Crunch
4 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup pistachios, shelled
Pinch salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare your rose milk
In a medium pot over medium-low heat, place all the half and half along with the washed rose petals. Bring this to a low simmer and let it simmer for 15 minutes before turning to low heat and letting it steep for another 15-20, then turn off the heat. Ideally, let this sit in the fridge overnight to infuse best. Strain out the rose petals. Make sure you still have 3 cups of liquid total. If you need to add a bit more half and half to get to 3 cups, go ahead and do so.
Make your pistachio crunch
Turn the oven to 325° and line a small baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, sugar, flour, pistachios and pinch of salt. Pulse the ingredients to combine well and break up the pistachios. You don’t want a fine powder, but rather a mixture with varied chunks of pistachio in it.
Spread the mixture onto your baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring it every 5. Once it’s aromatic, golden brown and crisp all the way through, remove it and let it cool completely.
Make your ice cream base
Bring the rose infused half and half to a simmer in a medium pot over medium heat. While that comes to temperature, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl just to combine.
Once the infused half and half is hot, slowly pour it all into the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Once all the half and half has been mixed into the egg yolks, pour the mixture back into the pot and place over medium low heat. Cook this for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula to avoid it curdling. You’re looking for it to reach about 160F, and look like the consistency of buttermilk. Be careful not to overcook as it will curdle and become grainy**
Once the base is thickened, pour it into a bowl and add in the vanilla, rose water, lemon zest, and ice cream stabilizer (if using), and whisk well. Cool this in the fridge for at least a few hours (or overnight), then churn it according to your ice cream machines instructions. You can also speed up the cooling process by placing the warm ice cream base in a bowl over an ice bath.
Finish the ice cream
Once it’s finished churning, gently fold in 3/4 of the pistachio crunch mix, then place it into a glass or metal container and immediately into the freezer to set up for a few hours before serving.
Scoop and serve with a dusting of the leftover pistachio crunch
**Pro tip: If your ice cream base begins to curdle, immediately remove it from the heat and place it into a blender base. Carefully blend it to smooth it out and then pass it through a sieve to remove any graininess.
