PISTACHIO ICE CREAM
Pistachio was one of our original ten flavors when we launched, and one we’re particularly proud of getting right. Most pistachio ice cream we’ve encountered is vanilla ice cream with pistachios mixed in or topped with almonds. We don’t think this counts as pistachio ice cream.
We decided to hunt down the best pistachio paste we could get our hands on. Unfortunately, what is widely available at grocery stores is a confectionary product that hardly resembles pistachios. Finally we found beautiful Sicilian pistachio paste of such a rich dark green color, it looks almost unreal—we’d never seen anything like it.
It took us quite a few rounds of testing to get the flavor just right. For a nut ice cream to taste good, you must be mindful of the fat levels in the paste, cream, milk, and egg yolks to end up with smooth and luscious ice cream, not chalky.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Immersion blender
2 cups heavy cream
1½ cups whole milk
¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
¼ teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
¼ cup (50 grams) pistachio paste (see Sources)
1. Pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in ½ cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you’ve added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled. Remove from the heat and whisk in the pistachio paste. Using your immersion blender, buzz the custard until emulsified and uniform.
4. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
5. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles “soft serve.” Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.