Knefeh ice-cream

December 24, 2012  •  Category:

 

Rushing to get things done on Christmas Eve and I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season!


This ice-cream came from a deli in Beirut that has been around since 1955 called Aziz. It is called knefeh ice-cream;  had a quick chat with the chef who invented it, Chef Jihad Nohra.

Well I did not get the recipe but I can tell you it tasted like sahlab.

Here’s what I would do: get some sahlab mix from a Middle-Eastern grocer or the real thing from Beirut or the Istanbul bazaar. Make some custard as you would for regular vanilla ice-cream, add some sahlab powder, a touch of rose water or orange blossom or both (of you like), and I am pretty certain you could reproduce this ice-cream. Garnish with lightly toasted sesame seeds. Sorry I can’t give you a tested recipe today! (coming later).

 

Comments

13 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Jessie says:

    Mmmmm, this sounds awesome. Please if you try and make it, can you share the recipe with us?

    Thank you in advance and happy holidays!
    Jessie

  2. Belinda @zomppa says:

    Ooh what’s not to like about this sweet. Great recipe.

  3. twbarritt says:

    Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

  4. sippitysup says:

    I get so inspired by the wonderful new tastes I am introduced to when I visit here. Merry Christmas my friend. XOGREG

  5. jason argon says:

    IF YOU CAN FIND MASTIC OF CHIOS OR ITS ESSENTIAL OIL THEN YOU HAVE THE CONSTANTINOPOLITE VERSION OF THIS ICE CREAM EWE’S MILK IS USED IN OUR PLACE AND HERE IN OUR MOUNTAINS YOU CAN FIND THE SAHLAB BULB.YOU ARE UNIQUE!! BEST WISHES !!!

    • Joumana says:

      @Jason: I almost added mastic to the ice-cream; here in Lebanon, milk ice-cream has some mastic in it and it adds that unmistakable perfume of the Chios mastic that I go nuts for! Best wishes to you too!

      @Mira: I was thinking more along the lines of making a custard (with egg yolks) just like for vanilla ice-cream, but also adding the sahlab mix and maybe a few pebbles of mastic (ground with sugar) and some rose or orange blossom water (1 tsp) and see the result. Glad you tried it and liked it before.

  6. Nadege says:

    I would love to taste it right now. Merry Christmas Joumana!

  7. Daniela @ Foodrecipe says:

    Wow, this is completely different ice cream! Wish I could taste it now.

  8. Mira says:

    I have made that before, I was trying to replicate the Ashta ice cream. It was pretty darn good.. Like u said, prepare the sahlab, chill and freeze it in the ice cream maker. I garnished it with pistachios, but I can imagine the sesame seeds would make it taste like knefeh ice cream. Yumm!!

  9. Susan says:

    I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Joumana. This ice cream looks unique and delicious!

  10. kouky says:

    hummm!! tu me donnes l’envie d’en faire!! joyeuses fêtes!!

  11. domi says:

    Un intitulé de recette ” barbare ” pour nous ici, mais la glace est sublime on dirait la glace italienne….

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