Halva ice cream
Ever heard about Halva? Or Halvah, helva, alva, or any of the other half-dozen or so labels under which this particular dessert is known and loved? Yours truly recently went to the Middle East, checked out a couple of the crumbly regional varieties, and became curious about whether the Halva also could be used to make some intriguing ice cream. How did it go? – Read on and find out!
Halva, or the many names for what we love …
According to ancient Assyrian myths, the gods who once met to create the world drank wine made of sesame seed (!). Since then, however, tahini (sesame paste) has become more known as the main ingredient in Halva (the nut butter-based type). The image shows Inanna, one of the more famous of the Mesopotamian goddesses.
The process: Make an easy-to-do ice cream base. Towards the end, add the Halva. And some pistachio!
Halva – this particular one is from Turkey (“Helva”) and is nut-butter based = consists basically of tahini (sesame paste) and sugar/honey.
The simplified base
Ready for the last stretch: the crumbled Halva, the chilled ice cream base, and the chopped-up pistachio nuts. We will also add some honey during the churning.
During this final phase, we will also add the honey, the crumbled Halva and the roughly chopped pistachio nuts. The honey can go in early, but the Halva and the nuts should only be added once the base has frozen semi-solid: If added too soon, they otherwise risk ending up on the bottom of the ice cream.
The chopped pistachio nuts have been added – the churning will soon be over, with the nuts well dispersed throughout the ice cream (rather than sunk to the bottom, which would happen if they were to be added too early in the process).
Fresh from the churning …
Halva – a delicious and particular ice cream flavour
Halva ice cream
- 300 ml (about 1¼ cup) milk
- 300 ml (about 1¼ cup) cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 40 ml (about 3 tablespoons) sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- 150 gram Halva (crumbled)
- About ½ teaspoon genuine vanilla powder
- About 30 gram or so of unsalted, roasted and roughly chopped-up pistachio nuts [and/or almonds and cashew nuts, should you so prefer].
- Pour the milk, the cream the sugar, the egg yolks and the vanilla in a sauce pan and whisk.
- While whisking, heat the the dairy mixture on medium-low temperature until it thickens slightly and the temperature reaches 82-85° Celsius (179,6-185 F). If you work without a thermometer, cook until the base is thick enough to coat the back of a spatula (just be careful - you do not want to end up with scrambled eggs!)
- Cool the ice cream base as quickly as possible. Cover, and let the cooled ice cream base chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably longer.
- Pour the chilled ice cream base into your ice cream machine and churn according to instructions.
- Once the ice cream begins to form (but before the churning has finished), add the honey, the crumbled Halva and the chopped pistachio nuts.
- Continue to churn until finished.
- Enjoy straight away or place in container, cover with plastic wrap and cover, and put in the freezer for later use.
Hi Anders,
Question please…is the cream you use in your recipes single cream, thickened cream or double cream? Can I use any of those creams in making ice-cream?
Many thanks,
May
Hi May,
Unless otherwise indicated, the cream I use is the recipes on this website usually has a fat content of about 35 %. The cream labels are far from standardised in this world but this is roughly equal to what is called “whipping cream” according to US/UK standards, and, I believe, to “single cream” in Australia.
The main point of using cream (as opposed to making a milk-only ice cream, for example) is basically that it brings fat. And fat adds richness to the overall flavour and mouthfeel of the ice cream, and can also be invaluable for securing a nice, stable consistency. So while you certainly could use any type of cream for ice cream, I would advise against going “below” the (roughly) 35 %-types. If you use a heavier type of cream, on the other hand, the increased fat content will typically only make your ice cream richer and further improve consistency and texture. Still, not everyone likes these “cream-rich” ice creams, so I suggest that you experiment and go with what suits your taste best. Best of luck!
When do you add the Halva?
I don’t see its addition in the instructions.
Hi Over The Top,
Thanks for spotting that omission, which now has been addressed. While the addition of the Halva was covered in the main text of the article, it should – of course – also be in the recipe-section!