July 1, 2019

Bastani

Posted by HI Cookery under 07 July | Tags: , , , , |
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Bastani

(Persian Saffron Ice Cream)

July: National Ice Cream Month

Before Highlander entered Islander’s life nearly three decades ago, she was friends at university with an Iranian-Persian Ph.D. student in the dorm. Ali M. used to joke and tell everyone that he would buy her hand in marriage with 12 white camels. She answered back that he could just buy her some ice cream! So they would walk off campus with a bunch of other dorm friends to an ice cream parlor and enjoy the frozen treats and everyone’s company. When Highlander moved into the same dorm a couple of years later, there were no hard feelings between him and Ali. In fact, he welcomed us in his physics lab where he was working on an experiment for his doctoral dissertation. And we all still went out to eat ice cream for a much needed study break afterwards! Always a funny guy, Ali said he wished the parlor could serve bastani as the 32nd flavor option. Bastani is a traditional Persian ice cream flavored with saffron, rosewater, cardamom and pistachios.

We do miss those dorm days and all our international university friends at the ice cream parlor. So we were happy to discover Persian and Middle Eastern restaurants where we now live and try bastani after all these years. Islander immediately searched for no churn bastani recipes and adapted one for our blog post. It is a delicious dessert to serve during the summer and throughout National Ice Cream Month.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream, divided use, cold
  • saffron, generous pinch
  • 1 tablespoon rose water
  • 1/2 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Directions

In a small bowl, place two tablespoons of whipping cream. Heat in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir in some saffron threads, pressing on the side of the bowl to release its flavor and color. Stir in the rose water. Chop the pistachio nuts into small pieces.

In a large bowl, pour the condensed milk. Stir in the saffron mixture. Beat the remaining whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the condensed milk mixture.

Stir in the pistachios. Place in a loaf pan or ice cream container. Cover and freeze for at least six hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer. Scoop into dessert dishes or wafer cones or serve with wafer sheets.

Notes

  • Bastani is traditionally served with a wafer slice. The final food photo above shows a background of a wafer sheet that we bought at a Middle Eastern specialty grocery store. Bastani can be scooped in wafer ice cream cones for a similar taste.
  • Search our blog for other no churn ice cream recipes.

 

July 1, 2015

No-Churn Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Posted by HI Cookery under 07 July | Tags: , , , , , |
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No-Churn Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

July: National Ice Cream Month

Have you ever taken one of those personality quizzes based on your favorite flavor of ice cream? One such test, an “ice cream flavorology study”, was developed by Dr. Alan R. Hirsch, the neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, Ltd., in Chicago, Illinois. National manufacturer Edy’s Grand Ice Cream commissioned him to determine how ice cream flavor preferences relate to people’s personalities.

Islander’s favorite flavor is butter pecan and Highlander likes chocolate (see our blog post recipe for no-churn chocolate ice cream). We read Dr. Hirsch’s amusing analysis of our personalities based on the ice cream flavors we chose and, while they do fit us, we do not feel bound to those descriptions, as we enjoy eating other flavors of ice cream, depending on our moods.

During National Ice Cream Month, have some fun and take the personality test. And while you’re at it, enjoy eating some homemade no-churn butter pecan (or other favorite flavor) ice cream from the recipe provided below. Stay cool!

Recipe

(Adapted from Noreen’s Kitchen)

Ingredients

  • 1 cups pecans (chips, pieces or half nuts), toasted
  • 2 cups heavy cream, whipped
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon maple extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon butter extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

In a small pan, toast the pecans, being careful not to burn them. Let cool and set aside. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. In a large bowl, pour the condensed milk.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Stir in the melted butter, maple syrup and extracts.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Add the salt. Fold in the whipped cream and toasted pecans and blend well. Pour mixture into a large loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer, scoop and enjoy!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Notes

  • National Ice Cream Day is also celebrated on the third Sunday of July.
  • Search our blog for other no-churn ice cream recipes.
 

July 1, 2011

Neapolitan Ice Cream Macarons

Posted by HI Cookery under 07 July | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Neapolitan Ice Cream Macarons

Neapolitan Ice Cream Macarons

July: National Ice Cream Month

America is experiencing a freak heat wave this summer. Temperatures are at a record high, even in the northern part of the country (it is even more sweltering in southwest Texas where we live!). Time to cool off with ice cream—better yet with ice cream AND macarons or ice cream macarons!

But with so many ice cream flavors to choose from, how can we please the palates of finicky family and friends? Neapolitan ice cream has three popular flavors conveniently packed into one tub: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. So at least one of those should satisfy their taste buds.

Our tri-flavored/tri-colored macarons are inspired by the freeze-dried Neapolitan ice cream that Islander is always crazy enough to buy whenever she visits the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The amusing “astronaut ice cream” is crisp and creamy—almost like a macaron!

Neapolitan Ice Cream Macarons

We filled our chocolate and strawberry macaron shells with real vanilla ice cream (but with a special lactose-free brand because of Islander’s delicate digestive system) and, as a non-melting alternate filling, with Tahitian vanilla buttercream for a brown-white-pink palette. These Neapolitan ice cream macarons are our entry into this month’s MacAttack challenge with the “ice cream dream theme.” And they are a sweet treat to beat the heat and celebrate National Ice Cream Month in July!

Recipes

  • For the chocolate macaron shells

https://hicookery.com/2011/04/11/hi-macs/

  • For the strawberry macaron shells

https://hicookery.com/2011/02/27/strawberry-macarons/ 

  • For the vanilla ice cream filling

Breyer’s brand lactose-free vanilla ice cream

  • For the alternate Tahitian vanilla buttercream filling

https://hicookery.com/2010/11/10/tahitian-vanilla-cupcakes/

Directions

Make the chocolate and strawberry macaron shells. Match by size and pair a chocolate with a strawberry macaron shell. Quickly spread vanilla ice cream on one of the shells and sandwich with another. Freeze immediately to firm up the filling. Serve chilled.

Neapolitan Ice Cream Macarons

Alternatively, generously fill a chocolate macaron shell with vanilla buttercream and sandwich with a strawberry macaron shell. Refrigerate to set.

Neapolitan Ice Cream Macarons

Notes

  • Look at the list of the 15 most popular ice cream flavors on the Food Channel site. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry and Neapolitan are in the top five, according to the International Ice Cream Association.
  • There are other flavors of the freeze-dried ice cream, including mint chocolate chip and chocolate chocolate chip. A freeze-dried ice cream sandwich is also available.
  • Try our lactose-free vanilla milkshake recipe on June 20 (National Vanilla Milkshake Day). Search our blog for other recipes containing ice cream.
  • The final photo above shows our Neapolitan macarons filled with Tahitian vanilla buttercream. It was too hot to fill and photograph the shells with the vanilla Lactaid ice cream on yet another scorching summer day in southwest Texas!!!
  • “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” Check out more macaron ice cream dreams at the MacTweets site.

 

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