Pistachio Ice Cream

I've decided to change up my blog, don't worry if posts are missing. :)

     Winter just seems like if it will never end. That's fine though the school semester is almost over. Two more weeks of classes and one week of finals I'm free!... until next semester. But let's not think of depressing things like school. 

     Do you like pistachios? I like them in desserts like macarons but I don't like them enough to just snack on them by myself but this past year and a bit many things have changed. I've made a lot of new personal discoveries. I've also learned to not always care about what people think and have that influence me... yes I still get hurt by the words and actions of others even if it's being done passively. A lovely person I see as a big sister has taught me to put myself first - knowing my own identity not only will stabilize me but helps me be much more confident. Whoops! I got side tracked. Going back to pistachios and change, I've learned to appreciate and love my parents much more. I spend a whole lot time more with my dad and notice more things about him. You know what he likes to do while watching TV? He loves to munch on pistachios. The cracking of the shells to get the tasty little morsel out is heard often in this house. 

     My dad wanted to have pistachio ice cream one time at the farmer's market but when he taste tested it he was left disappointed - It tasted too much like almond extract. So I decided to make some pistachio ice cream for my poppa bear since I recently invested in a small ice cream maker. PC brand oh yeah!

I came across a recipe for pistachio ice cream while wasting time on Pinterest, however what I did wasn't even close to it. I guess in a way I asianified it so that the ice cream wouldn't be super sweet. So I'll just share with you what I did..


Pistachio Ice Cream (loosely based on Saving Dessert's recipe)

Pistachio Paste
1 cup shelled pistachios (unsalted, dry roasted)
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp melted coconut oil (it might add a slight coconut flavor to the dessert)

Put pistachios into a bowl of hot water, let it soak for 10 mins. Drain and rub off the purple skins. Dry in the oven at the lowest heat setting for 20 mins (you can use a higher temperature but don't toast the nuts, you just want them dry), let them cool. In a food processor, blend the pistachios until they turn into a nut butter consistency mix in the agave, icing sugar, and coconut oil. Set aside.

Ice Cream
1 cup cream
1 1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
pistachio paste
2 tsp almond extract
5 drops of green food coloring for fun colour if you want :)

In a saucepan, whisk cream, milk, sugar, salt, and egg yolks. Heat it up but do not boil. Continue to whisk the mixture for 3 mins. Add the pistachio paste and almond extract. If it's not sweet enough, add a tad more sugar or agave. Whisk to break up the clumps. Once it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate for 3-5 hours. And prepare ice cream base according to your ice cream manufacturer's instructions. Freeze over night and serve!