Halva Ice Cream

Do you like halva? And what about ice cream (although this question may sound ridiculous)? Well, this Halva Ice Cream will knock your socks off then!

When I was growing up, one of my favorite sweets was halva. Indeed, those years (Yes, I can even say “those years of the last century”) we didn’t have many sweet things you could buy in the store. But halva was an available, affordable, and delicious treat.

As a matter of fact, most of you know halva which made of sesame seeds. We didn’t have sesame halva those days, but instead you could easily buy sunflower seeds and occasionally peanut halva. Yes, I believe you might not have tried these kinds at all, but trust me, they are delicious.

So this year I have seen a few pictures of Halva Ice Cream on Instagram. I started to wonder if it was a new creation, but Google said it’s quite common in some countries such as Israel. I mean: seriously, Ben? You hadn’t tried this flavour! You had been wasting your life! Probably lavender has dramatically affected me.

Besides, Google informed me that halva has been a super trendy ice cream topping this year. I tried it with some plain vanilla ice cream (And then with Coffee ice cream), and it was fantastic. Imagine halva sprinkled over and gradually melting into ice cream! I don’t like hashtags #foodporn and #foodgazm but they can truly describe everything going on. Seriously, that’s an explosion for your taste buds.

Having eaten a jar (or five) ice cream sprinkled with halva, I decided: Ice Cream to be.

As you can see, I kept my promise.

Sometimes it’s hard to find good halva – it might be slightly greasy or too wet or with a soapy consistency. That time I tried a new brand, and the halva was amazing: not overly sweet, not too moist, and with a fluffy flaky texture and delightful slightly scented flavor.

While making this recipe, I decided to add a few drops of rose water, and it was the winning thing! And sure I sprinkled over some salted pistachios because why not?

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Halva Ice Cream

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Chilled and No-Bake Desserts

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Chilling time

8

hours

Do you like halva? And what about ice cream (although this question may sound ridiculous)? Well, this Halva Ice Cream will knock your socks off then!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups (450 ml.) heavy (whipping or 35%) cream

• 1 1/2 cups (375 ml.) whole milk

• 5 egg yolks

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• a few drops of rose water (optional)

• a pinch of salt

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (about 120 – 180 gr.) sesame or other available halva, crubled

Directions

• Add the heavy cream to a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, using a separate heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the salt and rose water (if using). Add the milk and the crumbled halva. Using a blender, regular or immersion, blend until smooth.
• Optional step: Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, helping with a spoon. Discard the remaining halva pieces – they will make the ice cream too gritty. This step is optional, as we are going to strain the custard once again in the step 7.
• Once the cream and milk mixture begins to simmer, pour half into the bowl with the egg and halva mixture, whisking vigorously while you pour to prevent eggs from scrambling (this method is called “tempering”).
• Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
• Once the custard mixture has thickened, remove from heat and add the vanilla extract; stir until well combined.
• Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer (Just in cases there’s any small pieces of cooked egg) into a container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the mixture, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
• Once chilled, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. It usually takes around 25 minutes.
• Transfer ice cream into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours to harden.