Meghli is originally a lovely pudding made with spices and rice flour. It is traditionally made in Lebanon to celebrate the birth of a child. For this ice cream, I am using the same spices to recreate the flavour of the traditional Meghli. The combination of cinnamon, anis and caraway gives this dessert a rich and fulfilling feeling. You can try different toppings with different nuts and dried fruits, but for me, the two essential ones that should not be omitted are the coconut and raisins. You can alternatively try a vegan version of this ice cream, using coconut milk infused with the spices. Another bonus point: you don’t need an ice cream machine to make this.
Ingredients
Difficulty
For 4 persons
- 250 ml full-fat milk
- 100 gr sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon anis seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3 egg yolks
- 250 ml double cream
Garnish
- Desiccated coconut
- Raisins
- Almonds
Directions
- Put the milk, half of the sugar and spices in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. When the milk is about to boil, take the pan from the heat and leave to infuse and cool.
- Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with the rest of the sugar until thick and mousse-like.
- Reheat the milk over medium heat until it almost comes to boil. Gradually pour the milk over the eggs mixture while continuously whisking.
- Pour the mixture back in the pan and stir over low heat until it thickens. It is important to keep stirring during this process to avoid the eggs curdling.
- Chill the custard thoroughly.
- Combine the custard with cream and sieve the seeds. Put the strained mixture in an ice cream machine and churn until thick and frozen. If you’re not using the machine, freeze in a large shallow container and whisk every 30 minutes until you get the right consistency.
- To serve top the ice cream with the coconut, raisins and almonds.
