BUZA ‘ALA HALIB MA’ MA WARD WA MISKEH
rose water and mastic ice cream
Middle Eastern ice cream is denser than Western ice cream because it is thickened not with eggs but with salep, a mysterious ingredient ground from dried wild orchid tubers (see facing page). You can use cornstarch instead of salep but you won’t get the same luscious, chewy texture typical of salep ice cream. If you can, get a pure salep; it will be grayish, with speckles. But you can also use a commercial salep mix. If you opt for the salep mix, increase the amount specified in the recipe by one-quarter. You can substitute 1 Tbsp orange blossom water or a vanilla bean for the rose water (see Variation).
MAKES ABOUT 11/4 QT [1.25 L]
4 cups [960 ml] whole milk
8 grains mastic (see page 55), finely ground in a small mortar with a pestle to yield 1/2 tsp powdered mastic
1 Tbsp salep or 1/4 cup [40 g] cornstarch
3/4 cup [150 g] superfine sugar
11/4 cups [300 ml] crème fraîche
2 Tbsp rose water
2 Tbsp slivered or chopped pistachios, or a few unsprayed dried rose petals for garnish (optional)
In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp of the milk and the mastic.
If you are using salep, put the remaining milk in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring the milk to a boil and add the salep gradually, in very small quantities, whisking vigorously without stopping (this is to prevent clots from forming in the milk). Keep whisking over the heat for about 10 minutes, until the milk has thickened. If using cornstarch, dilute it in 1/2 cup [120 ml] milk, and whisk the cornstarch mixture into the remaining milk as soon as you put it on the heat; continue whisking until it has boiled for about 5 minutes.
Add the sugar to the milk mixture and stir for 1 minute or so, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the crème fraîche and rose water to the mixture and stir well. Add the mastic-milk and mix well. Let cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a couple of hours, until thoroughly chilled.
Transfer the mixture to an ice-cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and put in the freezer; leave the container uncovered for the first 10 minutes of freezing to avoid the formation of ice crystals. Store, covered, in the freezer for up to 1 month. Serve garnished with pistachios or dried rose petals, if desired.
Variation: Instead of the rose water, you can use a vanilla bean, added at the start. Split the bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk before heating.