Rosewater sütlaç, pistachio crumble

This sweet dish has to be one of the best things I ate throughout all my travels in Turkey. It was so cold in the Trabzon mountains that all I wanted to do was rug up next to a fire and toast marshmallows. This dessert combines the best of both worlds! The secret to making the sütlaç so creamy is to reduce the milk and slowly add it to the rice as you would a risotto. At the restaurant, we serve it warm, but it is equally delicious cold. You can make the marshmallow ice-cream and pistachio crumble up to 3 days ahead of time.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Toasted marshmallow ice-cream

• 450 ml milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 70 g sugar
• 20 marshmallows

Pistachio crumble

• 160 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 75 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp pistachio paste
• 250 g plain flour
• 125 g Iranian pistachios

Sütlaç

• 1 litre milk
• 60 g baldo rice, unwashed (see Note)
• 70 g sugar
• 125 ml (½ cup) rosewater

To serve

• lemon balm flowers

Chilling time 2-3 hours

Freezing time overnight

You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

Instructions

To make the marshmallow ice-cream, I would normally prepare the anglaise (custard) in the restaurant using a Thermomix. To do so, place the milk, egg yolks and sugar in a Thermomix set to 80°C, and blend on speed 4 for 7 minutes. When the time as elapsed, blend on speed 7 for 5 seconds, then pass through a fine sieve into a jug, cool, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until chilled.

To make the anglaise the old-fashioned way, bring the milk to the boil and set aside. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, then slowly pour in the hot milk, whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the pan over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking continuously until the mixture reaches 80°C. Transfer the anglaise to a blender and blend for 10 seconds. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug, cool, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until chilled.

Just before churning the ice-cream, thread the marshmallows onto metal skewers and toast over a gas burner until lightly charred. Pour the anglaise into an ice-cream machine, remove the marshmallows from the skewers and add straight into the anglaise. Churn according to manufacturer’s instructions, then freeze overnight or until firm.

Meanwhile, to make the pistachio crumble, preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a 20 x 30 cm baking tin. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the pistachio paste and beat until well combined and smooth. Add the flour and pistachios, and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together. Press the mixture into the lined tin and bake for 15 minutes or until light golden and just cooked through. Allow to cool completely before breaking up into a crumble.

   

To make the sütlaç, place the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat and simmer until reduced by one third. Place the rice in another pan over low heat and, stirring continuously, add the milk, ladle by ladle, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Cook until the mixture is thick and creamy and just leaves a line when a spoon is pulled through the middle. Stir in the sugar and rosewater and pour into serving bowls.

To serve, top the bowls of sütlaç with a small mound of pistachio crumble. Place a scoop of marshmallow ice-cream on top and garnish with lemon balm flowers.

Note

• Baldo rice is a short-grain, starchy Turkish rice available from continental delicatessens. If unavailable, use Arborio rice instead. Don’t wash the rice for this recipe – it’s the starch that helps thicken the dish.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.