The traditional flavors of Greece have been my biggest source of inspiration as of late. Rosewater, mastiha and mahlepi may not be flavors that come to your mind when you think of Greece, because generally speaking, the Greek cuisine has not been fully experienced by the rest of the world, for reasons that are too vast to ponder in this blog post. But that is something that I truly hope to be a part of changing. I want to be a part of revealing the unknown treasures of the foods of Greece to those in the world who may not have had the pleasure of experiencing them. The flavors of Greece go far beyond gyros and tzatziki, wood fired lamb and baklava – the Greek cuisine is vast and unique.
Let us start our journey into the world of Greek flavors together with this no-churn rosewater + mastiha ice cream. If you read my last post, then you learned all about the traditional process of making rosewater here on our island, where it is a foundational ingredient in some of the most treasured local desserts. Mastiha (a.k.a. mastic) is the resin that comes from the Pistacia Lentiscus tree, which are grown on the island of Chios in the Northern Aegean sea. The flavor of mastiha is hard to pinpoint, most would describe it as a combination of pine and vanilla, with maybe a touch of fennel or anise. Mastiha is subtle, but adds an unexpected complexity to whatever you use it with. Mahlepi (a.k.a. mahlab) is the aromatic spice that comes from the kernel of the black or mahaleb cherry (Prunus mahaleb). The kernels have to be ground or boiled in order to extract the most flavor. The flavor of mahlepi is a combination of cherry, rose, and almond – with a hint of vanilla and something quite floral.
Together, rosewater and mastiha make a lovely pairing in this no-churn ice cream and the mahlepi almond crumble is the perfect compliment, in both flavor and texture. A garnish of dried rose petals add a pop of color and are a beautiful suggestion of what you are about to experience when you scoop into this bowl of goodness.
You may be wondering why I chose to make this a no-churn ice cream recipe and the answer is simple, because we don’t have an ice cream maker here in Greece! The truth is, we don’t even have an electric mixer, so I actually whipped the cream by hand – which was a challenge in itself, but served as a great form of strength training…lol! Even though this recipe had to be no-churn due to our lack of kitchen equipment, I also feel that no-churn ice cream recipes are so much more accessible, considering most people probably do not own an ice cream machine.
Subtle, yet enticing, this no-churn rosewater + mastiha ice cream with mahlepi almond crumble is a recipe that I will continue to make again and again. Not only because it is simple and delicious, but because ice cream is quite an expensive treat here on the island and because this no-churn method is so simple, I am sure that we will always have a batch in our freezer!
ROSEWATER + MASTIHA NO-CHURN ICE CREAM
Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
Units
Scale
FOR THE ICE CREAM:
- 2 cups cold, heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup water
- 7 large mastiha tears ( about 1 1/2 tsp total )
- 2 tbsp rosewater
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
FOR THE CRUMBLE:
- 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tsp ground mahlepi
- 5 tbsp (75g) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
FOR THE ICE CREAM:
- Place the mastiha tears in a small dish and freeze for 15 minutes
- Crush the mastiha with a mortar and pestle, or wrap them in a small piece of parchment & crush them with a rolling pin
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the 1/3 cup water and crushed mastiha tears. Simmer for about 5 minutes and then strain the mastiha water through a fine sieve into a small dish
- In a medium bowl, stir together condensed milk, rosewater & mastiha water
- With a standing mixer or hand mixer, whip cream on medium high until soft peaks form.
- Whisk one third of whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture.
- Fold the remaining whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk mixture. Pour mixture into a freezable container ( a loaf pan works nicely ) and freeze until ice cream is firm, 6 hours ( or, covered, for up to 1 week )
FOR THE CRUMBLE:
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Add sugar, almond flour, salt, oats, mahlepi and softened butter to a bowl. Using your hands, mix together until crumbly.
- Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let crumbles cool, then serve with ice cream.
- Garnish with dried rose petals if desired.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
I have never heard of either mastiha or mahlepi before but the way you describe them make this ice cream sound so flavorful that I need to seek them out!
You would absolutely love these flavors Sarah! You should be able to find them easily at a Mediterranean market or on Amazon! I cannot wait to hear what you think of them when you try them!
Bella this is just wonderful – I admit I have never managed to make my own rose water, lucking these wonderful roses in my small Athenian kitchen but this kaimaki ice-cream is definitely on the list now! and very well done for doing it all by hand!!
Haha! Thank you so much Eugenia! I cannot wait to hear how you like it!
Oh Bella, these photos are so gorgeous ….. Even if I didn’t know that you are in Greece, I could tell just by looking at these photos! The ice cream recipe sounds incredible too!
Thank you Marilena! I appreciate it so much! The flavors work so well together in this ice cream!
Gorgeous photos and I love hearing about these Greek flavours! Sounds like a beautiful combination in ice cream. I feel you on the lack of kitchen equipment at the moment – currently in a college for 6 months in the UK and finally invested in cheap kitchen scales and a hand beater to able to do a bit more baking again…
Thank you Claudia! You should be able to source these Greek ingredients pretty easily in the UK! The struggle is real, right!? I hope to get some basic baking equipment soon myself!
Incredibly gorgeous Bella, you are making even more amazing and fascinating creations now that you’re in Greece – especially with limited groceries, props, etc.! I think you should be extraordinarily proud of this beautiful post you worked so hard on. It’s a very unique idea I’ve never seen or heard of before and it’s very authentically Greek with the Mahelpi and Masthia!! I would love to try to recreate this myself sometime this summer! Thank you for keeping beauty coming our way, the world needs more of YOU!! Love you! xoxo
Awwww…my heart is bursting! All of your words mean so much to me Michelle! I cannot wait for you to try this! It is such a unique combination of flavors and they work so perfectly together! I cannot wait to hear what you think of it! Love you back! xoxoxo
WOW!!! Stunningly Gorgeous photos Bella!!
my family LLLOOOOVVVVVEEEEEESSSSSSSS mastiha and mahlepi!!!!!!!! we can NOT wait to make this recipe and savor the BEAUTIFUL flavor profile of these ancient Greek ingredients!!
can not believe you combined these amazing flavors with the gentle flavor of rose-water in the no churn ice cream, how so very savant of you!!
i think i am MOST excited for the mahlepi crumble that goes over the top, i’m going crazy here, i can’t wait taste the blend of the mahlepi, almond flour and rolled oats in the crumble, with the rose-water and mastiha profile in the cream, the joining together of all that goodness is going to be a pleasure sensor dream paradise for sure!!!
HILIA HILIA EUXARISTO bella!!!
thank you so much! I know you and your family will love it! Thank you for all of your support!
This looks SO SO good!! yes to this
CK
Thank you so much Christiann! I know you would love it!
Hi. Sounds like an amazing recipe. I do however have an icecream machine. Lucky me .. would I still have to whip the cream first or can I throw everything into machine?? Thank you.
Hello Thekla! I have never made this recipe in an ice cream maker, so I would definitely whip the cream before throwing it in the ice cream maker! We have an ice cream maker here in the US, so I am going to try it in there the next time I make it!
Hi. Sounds soo yummy. I do have an ice cream maker ( lucky me) .how do I make it in that. Eg do I still need to whip cream first?? Or chuck everything in as is?? Thank you.
Hi Thekla! I have never made this recipe with an ice cream maker, but I would suggest whipping the cream before putting the mixture in the ice cream maker, just to be sure it turns out right!