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.
