KULFI
INDIA | PAKISTAN
Kulfi is the Indian/Pakistani version of Arab ice cream, also made without egg but with reduced milk, for a “crumbly” texture rather than creamy, but with an intense dairy flavor, not to mention the taste of cardamom. Kulfi molds come in different sizes, and they are made in the shape of cones with flat tips and screw-on lids so that the mixture does not spill out as it freezes. If you can’t get ahold of any kulfi molds, use conical Popsicle molds. They may not be the exact shape but they are close enough.
SERVES 4 TO 6 (DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE MOLDS)
Pinch of saffron threads
4 cups (1 liter) whole milk
¼ cup (60 g) crème fraîche or khoya (see Glossary)
½ cup (100 g) raw cane sugar
1 tablespoon slivered pistachios, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon slivered almonds
Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods, coarsely ground
1. Put the saffron to steep in 2 tablespoons of the milk.
2. Put the remaining milk in a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let the milk and cream bubble gently, stirring very regularly so as not to let the bottom burn, until reduced by half.
3. Add the sugar and slivered nuts and mix well. Let bubble for 5 more minutes, then take off the heat and add the cardamom. Let cool completely before ladling into kulfi molds and freezing for 4 to 5 hours. Halfway through, insert a solid bamboo stick into each kulfi.
4. To take the kulfi out of the molds, plunge the molds for a second or two in hot water, then unmold. Serve garnished with slivered pistachios.
SAFFRON KULFI: Omit the nuts. Increase the saffron to 2 pinches.