Creamy Pistachio Ice Cream

March 15, 2010 by Mansi

Everyone who knows me also knows that I have a huge sweet tooth, and Ice creams and cakes come on the top of my dessert wish-list. After relishing the Pistachio-flavored Gelato in Italy, I wanted to re-create something similar at home. So when I saw this beautiful Pistachio Ice Cream on Pat’s blog, I knew I had to try this. Indians have a penchant for Pistachios, even in regular cooking and baking. So having a creamy dessert that boasts of the lovely Pista flavor is indeed invigorating!

[Recipe & photo courtesy of Patricia from Technicolor Kitchen]

This may seem like a lengthy process, but let me tell you its totally worth it. You could just blend the pistachios and not opt to make the Pistachio Milk, as described, but be prepared to loose some of the creamy texture. The time you spend in the preparation will reap you huge rewards when you delve into the finished ICe cream with your spoon!

Pistachio Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups raw, shelled and unsalted pistachios
3 3/4 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Place pistachio and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to keep the foam from overflowing. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

Pour the pistachio-milk mixture into a blender. Cover with the larger lid and remove the central one. Place a folded kitchen towel over the remaining lid and blend the mixture until smooth – removing one of the lids will release excess steam from inside the blender and the towel will keep the mixture from splashing. Be careful when blending hot liquids.

Line a fine colander with fine muslin or cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Pour the pistachio mixture over the cloth and set aside for about 10 minutes.
Gather the cloth ends and squeeze out over the colander until you get as much liquid as possible – you should get about 2 1/2 cups of pistachio milk.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Set aside.

Heat the pistachio milk once again until it almost comes to a boil. Remove from heat and pour about 1/4 of the mixture over the egg yolks, whisking well until smooth. Pour the remaining liquid, whisk and then return it all to the pan.
Place it over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 76 to 79ºC/170 to 175ºF on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil).

Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, add vanilla and salt and mix well. Refrigerate it half-covered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Freeze custard in ice cream maker, transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer until firm, about 4 hours.

Serve this delicious Pistachio Ice Cream, just a little below freezing point, so its nice soft and creamy. Top it with some more chopped pistachios, if you like, though adding some whipped cream on it might not be a bad idea either!