Saffron Symphony

The taste of saffron is seductive. So, as these recipes prove, just a few strands of the spice are enough to make your mouth water

The taste of saffron is seductive. So, as these recipes prove, just a few strands of the spice are enough to make your mouth water

Saffron and Almond Ice cream

Ingredients
2u00a01/2 cups milku00a0
2 tbsp cornflour
125 gms cream u00a0
125 gms sugar u00a0
A few saffron strandsu00a025-30 almonds u00a0
10-15 pistachios u00a0
3 drops ice cream essence u00a02-3 drops edible yellow colour u00a0
5 gms CMC u00a0
5 gms GMS (stabiliser)

Methodu00a0
Blanch almonds and pistachios in one cup of hot water. Drain, peel and cut into slivers.
Heat milk in a pan. Dissolve cornstarch in a little cold milk.
Add cream to the milk and mix. Add sugar and stir till the sugar dissolves.
Add saffron strands and mix.
Keep an ice cream maker ready.
Add the dissolved cornstarch to the boiling milk and stir till thick.
Add half the blanched and slivered almonds and pistachios.
Put ice in the ice cream maker and add rock salt to it.
Take the milk mixture in a bowl that has been kept in the refrigerator to be cooled. Add ice cream essence and yellow colour.
Dissolve GMS and CMC in a little milk and strain through a sieve. Add it to the milk mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add the remaining almonds and pistachios and put the mixture in the ice cream maker.
Switch on the ice cream maker. Replace the ice and rock salt at regular intervals.
When about to set, place it in deep freezer for final setting.
When set hard, remove, cut into slices and serve.

Saffron and Prawn Bisque

Ingredients
7-8 saffron strands
8 prawns, peeled and deveined u00a0
2 tbsp olive oil u00a0
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped u00a0
100 gms pumpkin, sliced thinly u00a0
1 medium onion, sliced u00a0
2 medium carrots, cut into roundels u00a0
1 leek, chopped
1 bay leaf u00a0
20 prawn heads
1 medium tomato, chopped u00a0
2 inch piece celery, chopped u00a0
8-10 black peppercorns u00a0
Salt to taste
2 tbsp butter u00a0
2 tbsp refined flouru00a0

Methodu00a0
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic, pumpkin, onion, carrot and leeks and sautu00e9. Add bay leaf and continue to sautu00e9.
Heat another pan. Add prawns heads and two cups of water and let it boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer.
Place the prawns one on top of the other and wrap in a piece of aluminium foil. Drop this into the pan with prawn heads and water and let it cook.
Add a cup of water to the vegetables and cook till soft. Add tomato along with celery, black peppercorns and salt. Mix and cook for one minute. Remove the bay leaf and transfer the mixture into a blender. Blend to a smooth puru00e9e.
Remove the puru00e9e from boiling prawn stock.
Heat butter in another pan. Add refined flour and sautu00e9 for one minute. Add prawn stock little by little and stir well to avoid lumps. Add the vegetable puree and cook for one to two minutes. Strain into a deep pan. Bring the mixture to a boil again.
Transfer this into a serving dish. Unwrap the prawns and place it in the centre. Sprinkle saffron strands and serve hot.

Saffron and Pepper Paneer

Ingredients
1 litre full cream milk u00a0
1 cup cream u00a0
Salt to taste
3 tbsp vinegar u00a0
10-12 saffron strands
2 medium red capsicums, seeded, diamond shaped pieces u00a0

Method
Heat milk in a deep pan. Add cream and a pinch of salt. Add two tbsp vinegar and stir till it curdles. Add saffron when the mixture comes to a boil. Once the milk curdles fully, the solids will separate from the whey.
Place a muslin cloth over a strainer and strain the paneer. Dip in cold water and then tie up the muslin cloth and hang so that most of the water drains away.
Place the potli under a heavy weight so that all the water drains and the paneer gets set. You can cut it into any shape and use as required.
Heat oil in a pan. Add paneer and toss. Add red capsicum, salt and the remaining vinegar. Toss and cook for two minutes.

Saffron Panacotta

Ingredients
1 cup milk u00a0
7-8 saffron strands + for garnish
u00bd cup sugar u00a0
2 cups cream u00a0
1 tbsp gelatin

Method
Boil milk along with saffron and sugar in a deep pan. Stir continuously till sugar dissolves.
Transfer into a bowl and cool.
Add cream and mix well.
Soften gelatin in four tbsp of hot water and stir till dissolved. Pass it through a strainer into the milk and mix well.
Pour into bowls or glasses. Place them in the refrigerator to set.
Sprinkle a few strands of saffron and serve chilled.