If you’re Persian, this flavor needs no introduction. For everyone else: welcome to a dreamy trio of saffron, rosewater, and pistachio—a combination known as Bastani Sonnati Zafrani. Bastani sonnati means traditional Persian saffron ice cream and zafrani means saffron.
What’s the difference between Persian and American ice cream?
This isn’t your typical American scoop. American ice creams typically rely on an egg yolk custard or cream cheese for Philly style ice cream bases. Bastani is light, fragrant, and just structured enough to stay creamy with the help of an old-school thickener called salep—a starch derived from wild orchid tubers. But in the spirit of practicality (and availability), I’m using cornstarch as a stand-in.
How to use saffron
Saffron is expensive, precious, and easy to misuse. I’m blooming it the Persian way: with ice. That’s because crocin and picrocrocin, the compounds responsible for saffron’s signature color and flavor, are water-soluble—not fat-soluble. The cold temperature and slow blooming process help retain the bright pigments in the final ice cream.
A couple important tips
- Do not cook the rosewater. Rosewater timing is everything. Its delicate floral aroma is mostly made of geraniol, which breaks down under heat into harsher, sometimes soapy compounds. I stir it in only after the base has cooled over an ice bath.
- Freeze your mix-ins. As a general rule of thumb, everything in ice cream should be as cold as possible when it’s time to churn and pack. Freezing the pistachios beforehand makes sure they don’t cause any iciness (melting and refreezing) and they don’t all sink to the bottom.
- Strain your base: Even if you don’t see clumps, straining ensures a silky-smooth result—especially important when using starch thickeners.
Bastani Sonnati (Persian Saffron Ice Cream)
Ingredients
- 325 mL heavy cream
- 450 mL whole milk
- 120 g granulated sugar
- 20 g dextrose sub granulated sugar
- 30 g skim milk powder
- 1 g locust bean gum optional
- 0.1 g saffron ~15 threads, crushed
- 2 tsp rosewater
- 15 g cornstarch 1.5 Tbsp
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 60 g roasted pistachios, chopped 1/2 cup
Instructions
- In a small bowl, place 0.1g saffron over a small ice cube to “bloom” the saffron. Allow the ice to melt completely.
- In a medium bowl, combine 120 g granulated sugar, 20 g dextrose, and 1 g locust bean gum. Stir to disperse the stabilizer then set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, combine about 50 mL milk and 15 g cornstarch. Stir until smooth then set aside.
- Prepare an ice bath in a large container with equal parts ice and water. Set aside.
- In a 3 quart (or larger) saucepot, combine saffron water, 450 mL whole milk, 325 mL heavy cream, the sugars mixture, 30 g skim milk powder, and 1/2 tsp kosher saltBring mixture to a simmer of medium heat, stirring frequently. Once simmering, give the cornstarch mixture a stir before streaming into the pot. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes more, stirring frequently, until it returns to a simmer and thickened.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container. Place the heatproof container in the ice bath to cool. Once cool, stir in 2 tsp rosewater Cover and set in the fridge overnight, ideally at least 8 hours to develop body and flavor. Place 60 g pistachios in a separate container and freeze overnight.
- Churn the base in an ice cream maker according to machine directions. Once the ice cream is almost done churning and resembles soft serve, mix in the frozen pistachio pieces.
- Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours to fully firm up.
I don’t see the instruction to combine the small bowl of bloomed saffron to the ice cream mixture. Can you explain when the saffron is added?
Hi Jay, I add the saffron water to the base along with the dairy, sugar, skim milk powder, and salt. I prefer to add the saffron early on in the process for a more intense color.