Afghan saffron ice cream

Sheer Yakh

Traditionally churned by hand in a metal drum packed with ice and salt, sheer yakh is denser and chewier than Western ice cream, heavy with cardamom, saffron and pistachio. This is a freezer version that keeps the texture.

Serves
6
Prep
20 min
Freeze
6 hr
Saffron
15 threads
Shop the saffron
Afghan Super Negin saffron threads in a crystal bowl with the Authentic Afghan Saffron branded porcelain teacup of golden tea

Method

  1. Bloom in milk

    Warm 2 tbsp of milk, add the saffron threads, and leave for fifteen minutes. Milk pulls the colour more slowly than water but carries it further through a frozen custard.

  2. Thicken the base

    Whisk the cornflour into a little cold milk. Heat the rest of the milk with the sugar, pour in the cornflour slurry, and stir constantly until it thickens to a pouring custard.

  3. Combine

    Off the heat, stir in the bloomed saffron and its milk, the cardamom and the cream. Cool completely, then chill for at least two hours.

  4. Freeze and break

    Pour into a shallow tray and freeze. Every 40 minutes for the first three hours, pull it out and beat it hard with a fork or whisk — this is what replaces the churn and keeps the crystals fine.

  5. Finish

    On the last beat, fold in the rosewater and most of the pistachios. Freeze solid, then scatter the rest of the pistachios over on serving.

Notes from our kitchen

  • An ice cream maker works, but sheer yakh is meant to be chewy — under-churn it slightly rather than over.
  • Take it out of the freezer ten minutes before serving. Saffron aroma barely registers below about 4°C.

Keep cooking

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All recipes

Made with

The saffron this recipe is written for.

Single-origin Herati Super Negin, single-origin and harvest-dated.

The hero
The 1 gram crystal bottle of Authentic Afghan Saffron Super Negin threads

For giving

The Crystal Bottle — 1 g

One gram of Super Negin in a crystal keepsake bottle. About 60 cups of tea.

$19.99About 60 cups of tea
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Most gifted
The Authentic Afghan Saffron gift box beside the branded porcelain teacup of golden saffron tea

For the ritual

The Ritual Set

The bottle plus the porcelain teacup and saucer.

$44.991 g + teacup & saucer
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All-red Super Negin saffron threads heaped in a cut-crystal footed bowl

For the kitchen

The Connoisseur Jar — 5 g

For the kitchen that cooks with saffron, not around it.

$59.99$12.00/g
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