Yakh Dar Behesht ~ Persian for Ice in Heaven

This is an exotic, delicate, sophisticated  Persian custard laced with rose water and sprinkled with pistachios and rose petals.Known as Yakh Dar Behesht which loosely translates to Ice in Heaven , I came across this exquisite dessert in an equally exquisite book by Ariana Bundy. Ariana in her book aptly titled Pomegranate and Roses manages to capture the sensual, exotic pleasure of Persian cuisine as well as celebrating the values and traditions cherished by her family in Persia.  

Part memoir, part travelogue, this evocative collection of Persian recipes is a celebration of a vibrant culture and its cuisine. For anyone who enjoys food this book is a must buy with beautiful pictures, wonderful family stories and exotic recipes . 

I re-created Ariana's wonderful dessert in my kitchen and it was excellent so delicate and creamy it transports you to another time and place .....to the walled rose gardens of Esfahan .

 I am truly blessed to have some very wonderful thoughtful friends who always remember to bring me exotic ingredients from their travels so K , thank-you for the lovely persian rose water ....it came to very good use in this recipe.

 Ingredients

Makes 8 individual servings

1 litre / 4 cups milk
75g /3/4 cup rice flour
120g or 3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp rose water
3 cardamom pods lightly crushed
2 tbsp slivered pistachios
rose petals and edible gold leaf to serve (optional....I used silver foil)

Place the milk, rice flour and sugar in a saucepan. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, over a medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to thicken – about 10 minutes. Make sure it doesn’t catch at the bottom by scraping the bottom and sides of the saucepan with your spoon.

Add the rose water and the cardamom pods and continue cooking and stirring until the custard is thick and glossy – about another 2 minutes. 

Pick out the cardamom pods, then pour the custard into ramekins, or one large serving dish. Leave to cool in the fridge for a few hours about 3-4 hours, then sprinkle with slivered pistachios, rose petals and gold/silver leaf if using.