Saffron meringues with pistachio ice cream dressed with rose syrup and a sweet Dukkah.
Dukkah Dukkah Dukkah, I find myself playing mental helicopters, working on a jolified-hand-jive on the journey between the kitchen and my study. A whole new world opens to a snoozy kitty, who becomes giddy and quizzical beyond measure. A rough-n-tumble tickling session ensues which justifies Dukkah-ing is now acceptable on many levels.
Regrettably Dukkah means to pound, not tickle. Dry roasted seeds, herbs, spices and what not are placed into a warm pan, to release natural oils and subsequently ‘pounded pummelled or indeed tickled’ into submission gifting a coarse almost earthy, gritty mix of aromats and texture.
Politely pungent, a poetically perfumed, pretty and potent aromatic blend of herbs, spices and nuts are combined and used mostly sprinkled over salads, charred veggies, humus and the like, gifting a pop of texture and flavour. For our ice cream adornment, however, a sweeter version m’thinks.
Dukkah is, I’m finding, remarkably territorial and can make people a tad touchy (without the feely bit) “ Well I make mine from …’! Whilst doing a huffy hand on hip assertive thing.
“Well I use”:- (huff) Sesame seeds, hazelnuts, cumin and coriander some include nigella, sweet paprika and I’ve heard also of all spice, celery salt, cinnamon, Chinese five spice and star-anis at certain times of the year. I respectfully suggest you keep a watch out for such spice police … gulp. They take their stance and lurk where you least expect to find them.
Shown is a cupboard raid – a sweet version, a simple variation on the theme. No cupboard, not my old spice drawers, thank you! This fragrant amalgam is my jazzed up (ok-use up) version and includes hazel nuts, chopped pistachios and walnuts, light and dark sesame seeds, a pinch of cumin seeds, few rasps of nutmeg, a flay of sweet paprika, 2-3 Schezuan pepper corns, rose pepper corns, some caraway seeds, a couple of whole, fresh, green cardamom pods (discard the husks after warming and before pounding).
Towards the end of the pounding, or pre whizz, some dried culinary rose petals and/or grated air-dried orange peel (remaining from the festivities) are added with a teeny tiny pinch of sea salt.
They recline obediently in their small dry pan after being lightly toasted just before their trip to the pestle and mortar or a mini whizzer (code for a spice grinder). Adding this mix to a dry caramel to flavour shards of toffee is also a worthy thing to do. Also worked on some very fine meringue which is also to be broken into shards.
For the ice cream. I have used some left over pistachio paste, (as marzipan is to almond), top quality, vanilla. Some store-bought custard, and whipped cream all of which was beauteously photographed for another day – or I may have inadvertently deleted them from the camera? Certainly on my list to do again too. Whip the cream, whizz the rest. Cut fold together and then place in a suitable tub, abandon to freeze until required. (or just buy some, seems all the big guns are making it?)
The rose syrup. Stock syrup being equal parts of white sugar to water, dissolved over a low heat was gifted a few drops of rose-water and orange blossom, to taste and then store in fridge in a cheffy bottle.
The meringues I suggest you use your own recipe since it works in your oven (?) simply add a few strands of saffron to bleed into the shapes. My positively mad, thoroughly clever and mildly adorable, chef chum made the ones shown. The collaboration of tastes and textures have simply, and subsequently, stemmed from her recent gift. The component parts in variation could be store-bought but do work seamlessly and deliciously together and would swiftly compile a comparable version. This could be well considered a Valentines treat?
Though that said, I’m now rather a sucker for this pucker tucker dukkah!
x
ice cream magazine 
Absolutely gorgeous
Amazing! Looks and sounds fantastic.
Reblogged this on Home Made Dreams! and commented:
Looks beautiful!
So beautiful and scrumptious looking!
This looks delicious!!
Hello,
I am a fellow food blogger on wordpress who subscribes to your blog and I just LOVE the below recipe. I would love to feature this recipe on my blog as a special guest recipe feature for Valentines Day. I would of course give full credit to you, together with links back to your blog site. What do you think?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Most kind – you are more than welcome to reblog on your site. xx
Dukkah sounds delicious! The pictures make me drool unbecomingly
Love the plating. So enticing!
OMG! It must be so delicious. I’m drooling over your pictures 😀
Oh my! This looks absolutely stunning! x
Looks incredible. Amazing photos.
Beautiful!! Wish I had a bowl! 🙂
It looks and sounds like such a special treat. Just gorgeous!
How lovely! Excellent step by step photos.
Oh my – the photos are beautiful – what a show stopper.
Love this 🙂 pics are so tempting..
hi there. great work,as usual. just a couple of questions, please:
shop-bought pistacchio paste: where do you buy it? On line or from the high street (I think I have never seen it @Waitrose, for instance). I made DavidLlebovitz’s pistacchio ice cream by grinding my own pistacchio to a butter… and I did not like it very much… so I would like to try a new recipe
rose kernels: do the taste of anything, or is it their perfume u r after?. I have rose petals…but whenever I have used them, I then cursed myself… a find a bore to chew and taste of nothing (bought them on line from a reputable source)
thanks a lot
ciao
stefano
Apologies I reply in haste. Indeed decent pistachio paste is readily available through the net, I tried it at the suggestion of Michel Roux Junior ages ago (clang name drop!). The roses shown are dried culinary petals and, even though its mid winter the roses are fresh. I swashbuckled with the tea boy to retain a very old standard rose which was planted here to celebrate the 100th birthday of a lady I not not who, but she remains blooming’ marvellous and is rarely without her little flowers. Shown are a combination of both. Glad you have enjoyed xxxxxx Kindest regards and sincerest thanks to all. X
Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
So elegant and vibrant!
Looks like a delightful delicacy… Tries not to drool on tablet… Just yum! Brilliant post.
Beautiful pics as always. Sweet dukkah sounds incredibly interesting.
Love this combination!
Very very tempting
This gives true meaning to the term #foodporn.
erm…wow! It looks so pretty!
Tania x
I absolutely love your pictures and your recipe looks delicious. Your are inspiring.
Your words are as delicious as the ice- cream.
Yumm…delicious. Lovely pictures as usual…
This looks amazing! 🙂
Soooo beautiful!!!!
Wow that looks amazing!
This looks positively scrumptious. Definitely one to try at home. (You know I am _always_ most drawn to your ‘leftovers’ posts!) 🙂
This is incredibly beautiful and looks so delicious !!
Wow!!! Yummm
I want to try this for Valentine’s Day — absolutely beautiful, and I love anything with pistachios.
My favorite flavors!
Yummy and beautiful pictures!
Beautiful photos! I love meringue.
Love it. Had to pin it to Pinterest. Gorgeous treats.
Wow that looks delicious and beautiful in the same time!
beautiful beautiful beautiful! The photography is stunning as well- i am so impressed!! I have just recently begun making meringue recipes and appreciate the simplicity of the ingredients AND the tempermental nature of them. This is a great post. 🙂
I love the colors on this one! I’ll have to try it 🙂
Your photos are like art – so beautiful!
loved it…
Hi there. I popped onto your site to say thanks for liking my valentines post and I found this. It looks as lovely as I hoped my cake would have done (had I made it) and tells me how to make rose syrup. Brilliant!
Joyous
The melding of delicate flavors,
a certain symphony and savor –
The whipped, sweet meringue,
Slowly, to languor.
Beautiful images to accompany this delicious post
Ice cream heaven!!! You guys are genius!
Just beautiful!
Exquisite!
This is lovely! Tweeting your link to some ice cream-loving friends.
I’m not a huge fan of mirengues, but these pictures are so awesome that made me change my mind. Congratulations!
Looks beautiful!
Despite living in Italy I’m not a massive fan of ice-cream….but after reading your post with these stunning photos I’ve been converted! Bellissima!
Wow this is so beautiful, and looks delicious!
Pingback: For Foodies – THE VIRTUAL STYLIST
I am a big fan of your blog and work. I have updated a post on my blog ‘For Foodies’ and copied a photo of you and added a link to your beautiful blog. I hope you are ok with it, otherwise I will remove it. I was looking to contact you in another way, but could not found anything, Sorry if I have bothered you.
This is just beautiful!!!!! I’m not a huge fan of ice cream but even I would not be able to resist. Gorgeous pictures!
I’m a big fan of your blog , awesome pics unique flavors of ice cream soooooo tempting …. This one is my favorite 🙂
That’s the most beautiful ice creams I saw in my life. It’s an art! I would have no heart to eat them although I love pistachios in an shape and form 😀
Wow!!
Oh my gosh!! All your ice creams look amazing!! 😀👊
Wow!!! just wow!! Dizzingly beautiful!!!