Saffron Salep Ice Cream

Name: Saffron Salep Ice Cream (Bastani Sa’labi)
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salep [powdered orchid root]; 2 tablespoons rosewater; 2 cups /1 pint whole milk; 6 tablespoons sugar; 1 teaspoon powdered saffron soaked in a splash of boiling water; 1 teaspoon powdered saffron soaked in a splash of boiling water

Bastani Sa’labi

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Sacred Food

By Elisabeth Luard

Published 2001

About

Throughout the Middle East, the usual thickening for a creamy ice is salep, the powdered root of a ground orchid that is not only beautiful, but has the added distinction of being remarkably high in protein—all the better for celebrating No Rooz.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon salep [powdered orchid root]
2 tablespoons rosewater
2

Vegetarian
Gluten-free
New Year

Method

Mix the salep with a little of the milk and the rosewater.
Bring the rest of the milk to a boil, remove from the heat, and whisk in the salep mixture. Reheat gently, whisking till it thickens, which happens immediately. Stir in the sugar and the saffron water, and leave to cool.
Tip into a metal container and freeze. If using the freezer, take