I had been thinking about how to make this ice cream for a while, and I didn’t want to add too many complicated flavors that would conflict with the topping for this dessert. I had just made a batch of Faloodeh soaked in a rose water sorbet — a lovely, fragrant flavor that you either love or hate, and most certainly considered an exotic stand alone flavor.
I had originally thought of making the toffee swirls from honey which is also commonly used in the Middle East, but I had some coconut nectar on hand so I decided to use that instead. If all you have is honey, it would work beautifully here—just don’t use honey that is overpowering, like buckwheat—the standard clover would work just fine.
I love to make semifreddo desserts because it does not require an ice cream maker. I have made many different flavors using my basic recipe which I simply tweak a little to create whatever flavor is on my mind at the time. A good basic recipe with a few simple changes, offers you a new dessert each and every time.
I decided to make a pistachio flavor since this is a common used ingredient in Middle Eastern desserts and is abundant and well loved. The buttery nature of pistachios is great in ice creams and is very much like the texture of cashews, which you could use instead if you preferred.
This lovely dessert comes together in about 15 minutes. The hardest part, which isn’t really hard at all, is making the coconut nectar toffee, or honey toffee if you are using that. You must make this first and allow it to cool before you fold it into the ice cream at the very end. This is an incredibly delicious dessert, so make sure that you have a few friends around to share it with you because you will be tempted to eat the whole thing yourself.
Pistachio Semifreddo (serves 2-4)
6 yolks plus ¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla
½ cup finely ground pistachios
1 ¼ cups heavy cream plus ¼ cup powdered sugar
First make the toffee swirls using the coconut nectar or the honey and allow it to cool completely. Once it has cooled, it should not be hard, but more like a soft, caramel topping texture. To make the ice cream, begin by adding the cream and the powdered sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and whip until the cream is firm, place into another bowl and refrigerate.
Next, separate the yolks and put them into the bowl of your stand mixer, add the powdered sugar and whip together right away. Never let sugar sit on top of egg yolks for any period of time because it will ‘cook’ the surface of the yolk. Add the vanilla and place the bowl over a double boiler with slowly simmering water. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water or it will cook the yolks. Whip this mixture for approximately 10 minutes, continually whisking, until the mixture is very warm but not hot to the touch. Remove the bowl from the double boiler and put this to continue whipping on your stand mixer, until it cools completely and has become pale and slightly thick. Once cool and thick, then fold in the whipped cream. Lastly, add 1/3 of the toffee mixture into the ice cream and whisk it again until it is incorporated into the ice cream.
Pour half of the ice cream into your clean storage container and add half of the amount of ground nuts and half of the remaining toffee. Pour the rest of the ice cream on top of this and add the remaining nuts and the rest of the toffee. Use a spoon and swirl everything together, then cover with a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, scoop out ice cream and top with some faloodeh or add some macerated fruit or fruit compote and enjoy.
Coconut nectar toffee (for swirls in the ice cream)
1 ½ cups coconut nectar or clover honey
1 cup heavy cream
Add the coconut nectar or honey to a small pot and heat over moderate heat until it begins to darken a little, about 5-10 minute, and bubbles have gotten larger like this…
Then add the cream a little at a time and use a wooden spoon to incorporate it into the toffee. Remove from heat and allow it to cool completely until you are ready to put the ice cream together.
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