Saffron Ice Cream with Pistachios & Roses (sugar-free)

That’s right! This recipe is sugar-free! However, if you want it to be sugarful, I do provide that option as well.

The focus for this ice cream, though, is not about it being sugar-free, it’s about that beautiful golden saffron, and how to properly bloom it to maximize it’s aroma and flavor.

First, saffron ice cream (bastani) has a long history, going back to 400 BCE in Persia. No, the Persians did not have refrigerators or ice cream machines back in those days, but they did have very smart people who figured out how to keep natural ice cold in the middle of the desert to make delicious chilled fruit ices drizzled with syrups made from roses and various spices, including saffron.
Ancient Persian engineers invented the yakhchāls, or ice houses, that kept things nicely chilled!
”The ice created nearby and stored in yakhchāls is used throughout the year, especially during hot summer days, for various purposes, including preservation of food, to chill treats, or making traditional Persian desserts like faloodeh and sorbets.” [1]

Bastani sonnati zaferani, or traditional saffron ice cream from Iran, is made from heavy cream, eggs, sugar, rose water, and, of course, saffron. Although there are versions without eggs, they just don’t taste as luscious. And I even saw a recipe that used corn starch as a thickener. Yuck!

Why Adding Egg Yolk is Good:
Using egg yolks transforms ice cream from being a sugary indulgence into a more nourishing treat. The yolks also act as an emulsifier, and even better if you are using eggs from pastured-raised hens, because they provide higher levels of vitamins A & D, and choline, which is a critical nutrient for liver and brain health. Choline is needed by your body to produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that enables sharp memory, focus, learning, and even the structure of the cellular membrane.

Now, let’s get to making it!
(Resources for specific ingredients are listed below the recipe.)

Ingredients

0.5 grams ( 1 teaspoon) saffron threads + 1 teaspoon Lakanto, or similar
1-1/2 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Lakanto (see note if you want to use regular)
1/8 teaspoon stevia powder, natural, unprocessed version
2 Tablespoons rose water, or 1 teaspoon rose extract
3 yolks
Pinch of sea salt
Pistachios, chopped
Rose petals, as a garnish

Equipment
mortar & pestle
heavy-bottom pot
wooden spoon
strainer
stainless bowl
Ice cream maker

1. Place the saffron and the 1 teaspoon of sugar in the mortar & pestle and grind together to a powder.

2. Pour the milk and cream into a heavy-bottom pot, and warm on low heat to between
95° - 104°F.
It’s important to keep the milk-and-cream mixture at this temperature range to properly bloom the saffron. Use a thermometer for the best result, but you can also use the good-old-fashioned pinky method by dipping the tip of your little finger into the mixture. If it feels slightly warm, then it’s ready.

3. Turn the heat off, and add the ground saffron and sugar to the pot, and mix with a spoon.

4. Let the mixture cool, and add the rose water or rose extract. Then place it in the fridge with a cover. Leave for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.
This rest time will allow the saffron to bloom fully, and release its golden color, aroma, and unique flavor.

5. When ready, place the 3 egg yolks in a medium bowl, and reheat the cream and saffron mixture to about 110°F. Next, it’s tempering the egg yolks.

6. Ladle about a 1/3 cup over the yolks and whisk quickly together with a fork.

7. Immediately pour the tempered yolk mixture into the pot and stir slowly but constantly with a wooden spoon over low heat.

8. Keep stirring until the mixture reaches 160°F and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Now you have a saffron custard ready to be churned into ice cream!

9. Strain the custard into a stainless steel bowl, and place the bowl over an ice bath, or chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

10. Pour into an ice cream maker. Add a pinch of sea salt, then churn the mixture until thick and creamy.

You can enjoy your saffron ice cream at this point, but it is best to place it in a container and let it firm up in the freezer for 2 – 3 more hours.

11. When ready to serve, top with chopped pistachios and rose petals.

Note:
The amount of sugar in a standard ice cream recipe is usually at least ½ cup, which is a lot. I find that reducing it to 1/3 cup is still very satisfying, and less likely to spike your blood sugar. You can also add 1/8 teaspoon of stevia to amplify the sweetness, without increasing the amount of sugar.

Resources:

Organic Saffron (grown in the US)
Rose water
Rose extract
Stevia
Lakanto

I am not a paid affiliate of the resources suggested above.
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Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l