Hello Friends,
Hope you’re enjoying your summer! Ice cream season is in full swing at my house, however, every year I end up with the same pattern. My kids, nieces and nephews all get the hankering for ice cream. I go to the supermarket to see if I can get something for them on the fly. I check the ingredients list on almost every brand. I end up with a can of condensed milk and a pint of heavy cream to take home instead, because the ingredients in store bought ice cream are garbage.
My homemade ice cream never lets me down, it’s always easy to make, creamier than any ice cream I have ever bought, and a winner with my family and guests. With the sticker price shock of most ice creams these days, making your own is actually far cheaper too! In California most ice cream is now 7-8 bucks. Say what?
For NBC’s California Live, I got to share one of my favorite summer recipes for homemade ice cream with a Persian twist, Bastani Sonnati. For those of you that have seen this recipe on my channel before, hold on because I have a new flavor for you too. But for those of you new here, imagine a creamy vanilla base infused with a hint of rose water and saffron, topped with pistachios. This ice cream is exponentially better than any you will buy from the store, with no fillers, chemicals, or additives!
Make sure you follow these tips for a perfect batch every time:
- Use heavy cream. If you try half and half, plant milk, or nut milk it will not work. This is ice cream, go big or go home.
- Fold the cream and the condensed milk gently—you don’t want to ruin the work you did fluffing up the heavy cream
- If you want a stretchier consistency, try some powdered Arabic gum, which they now sell online, here is the one I bought here: amzn.to/46Socec
- If you don’t like saffron, rose water, or pistachios, make it your own! Try adding any kind of fruit, from peaches to berries, or nut butters! My personal favorite is American Dream Nut Butter, and you can get a 10% discount on those if you use code Blanche10 at http://www.AmericanDreamNutButter.com
Now another flavor variation I absolutely love is Tahini and date. The tahini reminds me of peanut butter ice cream, which I loved to eat growing up. The dates add a lovely chewy sweetness to the ice cream. Whatever you prefer, let your imagination run wild! Check out my latest video below:
HOMEMADE ICE CREAM (BASTANI SONNATI)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1/2 tsp rose water (optional)
- Pinch saffron (optional)
- Pistachios
- Freeze Dried Strawberries (optional)
- Wafer thins or digestive biscuits for sandwiches
- Tahini and chopped dates (for Middle Eastern version)
Directions
Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gradually and gently fold in the condensed milk. Fold in other optional ingredients, like vanilla paste, rose water, and saffron water. For the saffron water, grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle. Add 1 tbsp hot water to make the saffron bloom. Let cool before adding the saffron water to the ice cream. You can divide this recipe into two batches, and flavor the other batch with a drizzle of tahini and chopped dates. Put into a any kind of containers with a lid, and freeze for at least 3 hours.
