Rose water–cardamom is such a lovely flavor combination, and since all three of us love a good Indian dessert where it’s prominently featured, we thought, Why not try it in ice cream? The trick to balancing the flavors is to show restraint with the rose water; it’s easy to go from a dessert that’s delicately perfumed to one that smells like a Victorian grandmother. Rose water can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores, but more and more grocery stores carry it now. If all else fails, you can always order it online.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
8 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons rose water, or to taste
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, the cardamom, and the salt and stir until the sugar and salt 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 2 tablespoons (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.
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. Stir the rose water into the chilled custard, starting with half the amount called for and adding more as you like. Pour the 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.