Rose Ice Cream

Happy Valentine's Day! We don't really celebrate Valentine's day (as a matter of fact, one of us barely even remembers the day), but I thought I would be all girly and cliched and schedule this recipe to appear on Valentine's day. I think these occasions just help keep the spirits up when people are burrowing in to their couches and blankets waiting for some warmth to shine through - literally and metaphorically. So, even if the calendar doesn't tell you today is a special day, make an excuse to shed some warmth and love around!

One of the coveted things on my "not-needed-but-dearly-want-it" wishlist is an ice cream/frozen yogurt maker. The irony is - I don't really like ice creams (gasp) or any cold desserts per se. But, my husband does (aww), and so does his family. So, every time I see him stealthily slip into the frozen section of the store to gawk at and pick some ice cream, part of me wishes I could make it for him at home. There are so many interesting combinations to try and experiment that I dream of churning some flavored frozen yogurt or ice cream every so often. 

Recently, I found a bag of dried rose petals at our Indian store. I grabbed at it, and my brain immediately thought of gulkand (a sweet jam like concoction made from rose petals), and a creamy gulkand based kulfi (Indian ice cream/popsicle) that my talented friend had once prepared. So, that's what inspired me to try and make some rose ice cream without any ice cream makers or fancy ingredients (well, except for the rose petals). 

My friend's version is completely different from mine. It was way easier and was far more richer.  So kudos to her for coming up with an easy and delicious recipe! But, I decided to go the authentic route by first preparing a rose-custard and then freezing and creaming the custard to make ice cream.  I prepared the rose-custard with milk and some cream, thickened with corn starch instead of eggs/egg yolks. I then followed David Lebovitz's popular method of creaming and freezing the custard without the use of an ice cream maker.

The result was successful! Husband loves it and scoops a nice serving for himself every evening, and it warms my heart :). We love the delicate flavor of rose and cardamom - heavenly. A simple dessert has the power to warm and brighten our souls... isn't that amazing?

Ingredients (6 small-medium servings):

1. 2 cups + 2 tablespoons whole milk
2. 1.25 cups whipping cream
3. 3/4 cup sugar
4. 1/4 cup dried rose petals (or use 1/2 cup fresh rose petals)
5. 2 tablespoons corn starch
6. 1/4 heaped cup cool whip (or just whipped cream; I thought this would just thicken the custard and make it a little bit rich)
7. 2 teaspoons rose water (this is just distilled water and rose distillate)
8. 1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (because I am obsessed with cardamom. But it does bring out the rose flavor much better! Don't add too much because it will overpower the delicate rose flavor, but a small sprinkling intensifies the rose flavor)
9. 2 drops red food coloring (optional; I added a drop to bring out the pale blush pink color)

1. The consistency of the custard - run your finger down the spatula and it leaves a clear streak. 2. The custard ready to freeze. 3. Almost ready after creaming for 2 hours. 4. Ready to scoop and serve!

Preparation:

1. In a medium sauce-pan, mix whole milk, whipping cream, sugar and rose petals and bring to a gentle rolling boil on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. 
2. Mix the corn starch with a couple of tablespoons of milk to a smooth mixture (if you add the corn starch as is, it will clump up). Add the corn starch to the milk-cream-rose petals mixture and stir well on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spatula. Run your finger down the spatula and check if it leaves behind a clear streak (refer to the picture). It means your custard has thickened. 
3. Remove from heat and chill in an ice-water bath till it reaches room temperature. 
4. Then whisk in the cool whip into the custard. Add the flavorings -  mix in rose water, cardamom powder, and a drop or two of red food coloring if desired. I added just one drop. Continue to chill the custard for another 10 minutes or so until slightly cold to the touch. 
5. Pour the custard in a freezer-safe dish. I used a ceramic baking dish. Freeze for 45 minutes. 
6. Following David Lebovitz's method, take out the custard and break up the frozen edges with a whisk or an electric beater. I used a hand mixer and whisk to cream the chilled custard and break down the frozen bits. After you cream the custard, smooth the top and return to the freezer. Beat/cream the custard and break down the frozen bits every 30 minutes for another 2 hours and 30 minutes (that's a total of 6 creaming sessions). After the final creaming, freeze for another 30 minutes. I was going about my regular work and just spent a couple of minutes every 30 minutes creaming the custard.  At the end of 4 hours, the ice cream was scoop-able and frozen to desired consistency. If the ice cream doesn't freeze in 4 hours (because everyone's freezers are different), just let it remain in the freezer until it is frozen to desired consistency. You don't have to continue creaming the custard, though.

Scoop and serve immediately! The ice cream will melt faster than store bought ones because there are no stabilizers or additives, but in this cold weather, it doesn't make much difference!

The creaming sounds like a lot of work, but it is not. It takes time for the ice cream to set, but it is not arduous to cream it every 30 minutes. If you do not cream the custard, you will end up with a slab of frozen ice! So make time to cream at least a few times.