After months of false starts Summer is well and truly here at long last. You have to fight for a spot at the pool, a steady program of barbecue events is underway and the TV schedule is immersed in cricket and tennis. I love love love this time of year.As well as all of the above, one of my favourite summer things to do is make ice cream. For me ice cream is like a canvas, open to a mind numbing array of flavour, colour and textural combinations. I love to experiment. The problem is that I also want to indulge in all my old favourites (chocolate sour cream, lemon meringue, choc mint, rocky road, coconut, lemon cheesecake - I could go on for forever). It all adds up to a lot of ice cream. Fortunately for my waistline, I have plenty of friends who are happy to take a share of it off my hands.
While I am always happy to experiment by my own little self, I also keep a vigilant lookout for interesting recipes and ideas from elsewhere. So when I stumbled across this recipe for saffron rosewater ice cream I knew I would be trying it out. I love Middle Eastern flavours, and this ice cream is just the epitome.
I was intrigued with how saffron would settle into an ice cream. I was worried that it would either be overpowering or simply disappear altogether. As it happened, this recipe is wonderfully balanced. The saffron comes through as a subtle undertone to the rosewater flavour. The crunch of the pistachios and the tang of cherries (I used bottled cherries) adds a lovely contrast.
Having said all that I liked this ice cream in small doses only. A spoonful or two is thoroughly enjoyable. Any more than that and it just all becomes too much. So I was thinking a better idea may be to serve just a spoonful or two of this ice cream alongside a scoop of plain cherry or pistachio.Come to think of it, I have never tried a cherry ice cream. That is definitely one for the drawing board.
Oh, KJ, this is going to be very useful - I have just bought an ice cream maker!! :D
ReplyDeleteI can't wait till ice cream season....hey wait anytime of the year can be ice cream season!!!!
ReplyDeletelooks exquisite. i may have to run out and get an ice cream maker!
ReplyDeletegreat, now i hate winter more than ever. :)
ReplyDeletei'm not familiar with the tastes of saffron or rosewater, but i am familiar with ice cream, and your creation looks stupendous!
i 'm so going to make this...
ReplyDeletelove ur blog, new here. u have a great place with such wonderful pics n recipes...will be back in ur kitchen for sure :)
hugs,
Please do try a cherry ice cream! I made one a couple days ago and it simply didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, not enough cherry flavour. I'd be happy to see how someone else does it.
ReplyDeleteLovely! We experimented quite successfully (thankfully) with making a saffron/sweet cream sorbet at one of the restaurants I worked in. It was delightful, although we did have to play with the amount so it wasn't TOO saffron-y. Love the addition of pistachios. Perfect!
ReplyDeletePS I checked the date when I read your first sentence, but then I realized you must be Down Under. It's supposed to snow here tonight:)
Hi Patricia, fantastic. You are going to have so much fun. I hope you see my next post.
ReplyDeleteHi Val, for sure!!!!
Hi Anne, do!! It's great fun.
Hi Grace, sorry about that. LOL.
Hi Navita, welcome and thanks.
Hi Brilynn, I will see what I can do.
Hi Jenni, given the soaring temperatue here at the moment that actually sounds kind of good :}
This is such a fantastic recipe for icecream, I am looking forward to trying this when it gets warm here!
ReplyDeleteThis ice cream looks good!
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