Kulfi - A Primitive Form of Icecream

Kulfi - Creamed Ice: (Reposting)

Indian Home-Made Icecream. Indian Heavy Cream Icecream. Douple Cream Icecream. Malai Icecream. Malai Kulfi. Kesar ka Kulfi. Malai ka Kulfi. Doupe ka Kulfi. Saffron Kulfi. Rich & Authentic Indian Icecream.

Chinese were enjoying the frozen drinks for several centuries(since time immemorial)! Marco Polo(13th Century) is credited with bringing the recipe from Oriental to Italy. Maybe it was Arab traders who learnt the recipe and customized it to their needs, which we call 'Sorbet' now. Arabs popularized the frozen sorbet' throughout the subcontinent!! So, Indians did enjoy frozen treats for a long time!

Like many other countries...people living upon highlands like Himalayas, would have accidentally tasted their frozen sweetened liquid dessert 'boom' iced dessert' was born! Cream ice will be more appropriate name though! It was said that King Akbar(The Great) introduced salt petre in India(15th Century). And kulfi was made ever since! Considering the fact of today's ice cream (cream being whipped), our (assuming most of my readers are Indians/India originated) kulfi is kind of 'Technically Primitive'. Probably the later traders passed the procedure of cream ice' to various countries like Rome and France! Where Romans enjoyed it big time, they improvised it with pureed fruits, enriched with honey and then mixed with snow! Emperor Nero (Who played violin, when Rome was burning down) had special chambers of cold rooms, beneath his Palace.

(I know my above paragraphs are kind of overdose...I am beating around the bush, let me come to the point)!!!

In France (17th Century), they really mastered it...repeated it number of times...churned the cream custard, thus whipped Ice cream was invented. Later, British and French enjoined in reflecting in their cookbooks...all about it!!! Who will globalize it? You know, a persevering American, Frederic Tudor(18th Century), after struggling for about quarter century...succeeded in shipping huge containers of frozen dessert to South America, Iran and India.

Ingredients:

Chilled Heavy cream 1 cup
Half and half 1/2 cup
Condensed milk - little
Saffron few strands
Sugar syrup
Cardamon seeds powder 1 spoon
Salt pinch
Skim milk/powder milk - 1/4 cup
Pistachios nuts (powder)1 spoon
Cashew nuts (powder)1 spoon
Almonds (powder)1 spoon
Sliced almonds
Cashew nuts sliced
Pistachios sliced
Kulfi molds - I used short glasses here:)
Saffron - few strands for garnishing

Method:

In a heavy-bottomed, non-stick, deep vessel. Heat milk, along with sugar syrup, saffron and cardamon seeds.

Let it come to boil. Then simmer it down. Allow it to consolidate. Reduce the milk over medium heat....by often stirring it. (Like if you heat 4 cups of milk...allow it to reduce to 1 cup) Do not burn the milk at the bottom. As you prepared enough 'heavy cream' . Carefully take the cream formed into another dish, set aside.

Now stir in powdered nuts to the remaining milk. Plus add skim milk, half and half and condensed milk. Allow this to incorporate well. Once again allow them to reduce.

Further add sliced(almonds, cashewnuts & pistachios)nuts and remove from heat.

Allow this milk mixture to cool down to room temperature. Then stir in...double cream to this. Mix them well.

Pour this mixture into 'Kulfi-molds'. Do not pack them with air bubbles or too tight at the same time. Cover them carefully. Now in a tray...gather some ice cubes, throw hand full of salt in it...place the kulfi monds on it. Leave this step up in the freezer for 2-4 hours or until it freezes.

Just before serving, take these molds. Hold them under running water for few minutes. Then remove the cover and scrape the edges of 'Kulfi' with fine knife. Now try removing & transferring into a serving plate.

Garnish with saffron strands and sliced pista nuts on the top. Now microwave it over high for 2 minutes, ha ha just kidding! Serve chilled as a dessert.