halva ice cream

A long time ago a Turkish friend, Hande Bozdoğan, who owns and runs the Istanbul Culinary Institute, gave me a recipe for tahini ice cream that I lost. I could have asked her to send it again, but before I could do so I found this interesting recipe for halva ice cream in Afnan Rashid al-Zayani’s book, A Taste of the Arabian Gulf, and decided to adapt it. It is a little sweeter than Hande’s recipe but with an interesting texture, half creamy and half crunchy—or as crunchy as an ice cream can be. It is definitely worth trying, and you can vary the flavor by adding saffron to the milk or replacing the cardamom with white pepper, for an intriguing spicy taste. If you opt for the pepper, use ¹/₂ tsp.

MAKES ABOUT 1¹/₂ QT [1.5 L]

¹/₄ cup [40 g] cornstarch

4 cups [960 ml] goat’s milk or whole milk

¹/₂ cup [100 g] organic cane sugar

2 Tbsp rose water

1 tsp ground cardamom

17 oz [500 g] tahini halva, finely crumbled

1 cup [240 ml] goat’s cream or crème fraîche

3 Tbsp slivered or chopped pistachios

Whisk the cornstarch into ¹/₂ cup [120 ml] of the milk.

Put the remaining milk and the sugar in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Slowly add the cornstarch-milk, whisking all the time. Bring to a boil, still whisking. Let bubble for about 5 minutes, continuing to whisk, until the milk has thickened. Remove from the heat and add the rose water and cardamom. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let cool.

Put the crumbled halva and goat’s cream in a food processor and process to a smooth paste. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 cup [240 ml] of the thickened milk and process until the mixture is creamy. Transfer to a 2-qt [2-L] measuring cup. Add the thickened milk and whisk until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours, until thoroughly chilled.

Transfer 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 sprinkled with the pistachios.