Bikdash Ice Cream
This is Arabic-style Bikdash ice cream, made primarily with whole milk, raw sahlab, mastic, and sugar, then mixed with ashta and chilled in stages while being pounded to achieve its signature stretch and creamy texture. Aleppo pistachios are then added; the ice cream is spread, rolled, frozen, and served cold.
A traditional-style ice cream inspired by Bikdash.
Like classic handmade Middle Eastern ice cream.
Serve frozen and keep the mix well chilled while preparing.
Ingredients
- 1.5 liters Whole milk
- 400 grams Full-fat whipping cream
- 1 tsp Raw sahlab
- 150 grams (3.4 cups) Sugar
- 4 grains Mastic
- 300 grams Hama-style ashta or boiled ashta
- 300 grams Aleppo pistachios
- 1 liter of milk with 2 containers of ashta if rich milk is unavailable Milk
Instructions
- Pour 1.5 liters of whole milk into a pot on the stove.
- Place the raw sahlab, mastic, and part of the sugar in a mortar, then pound the ingredients in the mortar until combined.
- Add the remaining sugar to the sahlab and mastic mixture in the mortar and mix it.
- Stir the milk continuously in the pot on the stove so that it does not stick or scorch.
- When the milk in the pot on the stove becomes warm, gradually add the sugar, mastic, and sahlab while stirring continuously.
- Continue stirring the mixture in the pot on the stove until it boils and thickens.
- Turn off the heat under the pot on the stove when the mixture begins to boil and has a thick consistency, then continue stirring briefly.
- Leave the ice cream mixture in the pot until it cools, or pour the ice cream mixture into a wide tray so it cools quickly.
- Leave the ice cream mixture in the tray outside the refrigerator until it has cooled 100%.
- Add about 300 grams of ashta to the cooled ice cream mixture.
- Mix the ashta with the ice cream mixture in the bowl, keeping some lumps of ashta intact.
- Cover the bowl or tray very tightly with a tight-fitting lid or stretch plastic wrap so that no air gets in.
- Place the bowl of ice cream mixture in the freezer for a full hour.
- Remove the bowl of ice cream mixture from the freezer after 1 to 1 1/2 hours, when it is cold and partially set without being fully frozen.
- Pound the ice cream mixture in the bowl using a suitable pounding tool until the texture becomes creamy and stretchy; it can be blended at this stage.
- Cover the bowl of ice cream tightly again with the lid or stretch plastic wrap.
- Return the bowl of ice cream to the freezer for 3 to 4 hours, until it freezes well.
- Remove the bowl of ice cream from the freezer after about 3 hours, and leave it for a little while if it is very hard.
- Knead the ice cream briefly by hand while wearing a glove, then continue pounding the ice cream in the bowl for more stretch.
- Add the Aleppo pistachios to the ice cream in the bowl, then knead the ice cream with the pistachios.
- Line a tray or Pyrex dish with plastic wrap, then spread the ice cream over the plastic wrap in a layer that is not thick.
- Smooth the surface of the ice cream in the tray and press it to remove the air.
- Cover the ice cream in the tray very tightly with plastic wrap so that no air gets in.
- Place the tray of ice cream in the freezer for about 1 hour, until it is suitable for rolling.
- Remove the tray from the freezer when the ice cream is midway between soft and firm.
- Add Aleppo pistachios over the surface of the ice cream in the tray if desired, then press them lightly so they adhere.
- Roll the ice cream in the tray into a log using the plastic wrap.
- Place the ice cream roll in the freezer until frozen.
- Remove the ice cream roll from the freezer after it has frozen, then place Aleppo pistachios on plastic wrap and coat the outside of the roll with pistachios.
- Wrap the ice cream roll tightly again with plastic wrap.
- Return the ice cream roll to the freezer briefly until it sets.
- Slice the ice cream roll and serve it cold.