This is a recipe from our book, and it is a flavour we haven’t made for a while. The reason we are posting it now is that we had a customer asking for it, but it’s one of those flavours that just doesn’t seem to sell in the shop. French people like it, which is why we call it “pistache,” but otherwise it seems to have a very narrow appeal.

We think this is a shame, because pistachios are delicious nut and make a delicious ice cream.  Seán is so addicted to them that you can usually find him by the trail of his pistachio shells. In the ice cream, we have added a traditional hint of almond. The recipe calls for pureeing the nuts, and we will leave it up to you how smooth you wish to make it.

PISTACHIO (PISTACHE) ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 130g sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 240 ml cream
• 200 ml milk
• 100 g shelled, roasted pistachios
• 1/8 teaspoon natural almond essence

What to do:

1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.
2. Bring the milk to a low simmer.
3. Beat the milk into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.
5. Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!
6. Immediately remove from the heat.
7. Allow to cool.
8. Put the pistachios in a blender or food processor, adding just enough of the custard to help it mix. Blend until smooth.
9. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks – don’t over-whip).
10. Fold (gently stir) in the rest of the custard (without the nuts).
11. Add the almond essence.
12. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, adding the pistachio puree when it is somewhat solid.
13. If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings

Notes:

1. Make sure your pistachios are good and crunchy. If not, you can always put them in the oven at around 100C for twenty minutes or so, but keep an eye on them that they do not burn!
2. You don’t have to blend the pistachios until smooth if you like the crunch. Just pulse the blender a few times to break up the nuts a bit.
3. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though, and keep stirring! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.