Saffron Ice Cream and Carrot Juice

Atoosa Sepehr

Atoosa Sepehr

30th November 2018
Atoosa Sepehr

Saffron Ice Cream and Carrot Juice

It may seem strange to mix ince cream and juice but most ice cream shops in Iran serve saffrom ice cream with carrot juice and many of my European friends who have visited Iran have become addicted to it. Of course, you can eat the saffron ice cream on its own but I would encourage you to add carrot juice if you are feeling adventurous.

Ingredients

  • Makes 8-10 glasses
  • 100g good-quality while chocolate with vanilla
  • 3-4 generous pinched of saffron threads
  • Pinch of granulated sugar or demerara sugar
  • 300ml full fat milk
  • 300ml double cream
  • 100g condensed milk
  • Freshly made carrot juice
  • Crushed pistachios for topping

Method

Break the chocolate into a large bowl and set aside.
Make saffron water by using a pestle and mortar to grind the saffron threads together with a pinch of granulated or demerara sugar to form a fine powder. Add 2 tablespoons of boiling water and leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes. Alternatively, after grinding the saffron with sugar, sprinkle it on top of an ice cube in a small bowl and leave the ice to melt: although this is a lengthy process the flavour of saffron is preserved better.
Add the water to a saucepan along with the milk, cream and condensed milk. Bring to the boil on a medium heat, stirring every now and then. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, then pour into the bowl of chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted and then set aside to cool before placing in the fridge to chill.
Pour the chilled mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Alternatively, if you don't have an ice-cream machine, whisk the chilled mixture for 5 minutes on high speed, then freeze for 4 to 5 hours, stirring every hour until almost frozen.
Freeze the ice cream for a couple of hours so that it is hard before serving.
To make bastini havij (Saffron ice cream and carrot juice), place two or three scoops of ice cream in a glass and then pour in some carrot juice to fill the glass. Top with some crushed pistachios and serve.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.