Sholeh Zard and pistachio ice cream

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 250 g basmati rice
• 30 g butter
• 400 g sugar
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 150 g almond sticks, blanched and lightly roasted
• some saffron mixed in water
• ½ g rose petals, ground
• Pistachios, ground
• 1 cinnamon stick(s)
• 300 g milk
• 300 g cream
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 50 g honey
• 4 eggs
• 100 g pistachios
• 1 vanilla pod(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 27.03.2025

To make the rice pudding, first wash the rice in cold water and place it in a saucepan with six times the amount of water. Bring the rice to a boil, then simmer uncovered over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, until very soft. Then add the butter and stir until melted. Next, add the saffron water, sugar (or agave syrup), cinnamon stick, and rose water, and stir well. When the mixture thickens a little, add the toasted almonds and stir to incorporate. Once it reaches a pudding-like consistency, transfer the mixture to small molds and tap the cups several times on a solid surface to achieve a smooth surface. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then refrigerate completely. To serve, turn the puddings out of the molds and garnish with ground pistachios and rose petals. To make the pistachio ice cream, first put the cream, milk, and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to 80°C. Grind the pistachios in a blender. In another pan, whisk one whole egg with two egg yolks and the vanilla sugar. Add the honey milk to the egg mixture and heat the mixture gently, scraping it along the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Stir continuously and heat the mixture to approximately 75–80°C; a digital thermometer can be helpful. Add the chopped pistachios and mix well. Let the ice cream mixture sit for a while, then pour it into the running ice cream maker and run it until the desired consistency is reached. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the pistachio ice cream directly from the ice cream maker onto plates next to the rice puddings. Katharina prepared this recipe as a dessert on the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 4 of the AIDA special “On the High Seas II” on Thursday, March 27, 2025.