Bastani Sonnati

Ingredients

• ½ tspsaffronfinely ground in a mortar and bloomed
• 2⅓ tbsprose waterfor flavouring
• 1¾ ozpistachiosunsalted, chopped; some for topping
• 1⅔ cupscreamwell chilled
• 2 cupsmilkfor the custard; a little for blooming the saffron
• 2½ ozsugara pinch of it when grinding the saffron
• 1 tspvanilla extractin source 3 provided by the vanilla ice cream
• 5egg yolkfor the cooked custard base (optional)
• 14⅛ ozsweetened condensed milkreplaces yolks, sugar and milk in the no-churn version (optional)
• ½ tspcardamomground (optional)
• 4¼ cupsvanilla ice creamas a ready-made base for the shortcut version (optional)

Method

1. Put the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker into the freezer well in advance, so that it is thoroughly cold by the time you churn.
2. Grind the saffron threads finely in a mortar with a pinch of the sugar, then leave them to steep in a little of the whole milk until the milk turns a strong, golden yellow.
3. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and creamy.
4. Pour the rest of the whole milk into a saucepan with the rose water and vanilla extract and heat until it is just below boiling.
5. Whisk a little of the hot milk into the yolk mixture to temper it, then pour everything back into the pan. Stir constantly over low heat until the custard reaches about 170 °F and has noticeably thickened.
6. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the saffron milk and the well-chilled heavy cream. Cover the custard and chill it in the fridge overnight.
7. Churn the cold custard in the ice cream maker for about 20 minutes, until creamy, adding the chopped pistachios at the end; keep a few back for scattering over the top.
8. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer container, cover it and freeze for at least 4 hours.
9. Before serving, let it soften for a few minutes so it scoops easily, then shape it into balls and scatter over the remaining pistachios.

Tips and variations

Without an ice cream maker, Bastani Sonnati can be made with sweetened condensed milk: stir it together with the saffron, rose water and ground cardamom, fold it into stiffly whipped cream, mix in the pistachios and freeze in a loaf tin for 8 hours; the egg yolks, sugar and milk are left out entirely. Quicker still, stir ready-made vanilla ice cream with saffron milk, rose water and pistachios and return it to the freezer. Instead of steeping the saffron in milk, you can also let it melt over ice cubes, and a pinch of ground cardamom suits every version. Served in small, chilled bowls, the ice cream stays creamy for longer.