Kataifi Ice cream

A delicious Greek ice cream with syrupy shredded phyllo and salty pistachios!

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Kataifi ice cream is so easy to make and perfect for a dinner party. It’s simple, and you can make it days ahead of time. Kataifi is a syrupy pastry that’s so good I’ve shared multiple variations of it. So, why not turn it into ice cream? I get some help from store-bought ice cream to help keep it simple, and in Greece, it’s traditional to use mastic ice cream. Rose would be delicious too, but those flavors are sometimes hard to find in Texas. Plus, some of my kids don’t care for the flavor of mastiha. So, I use vanilla. The benefit of using vanilla is that it lets the flavor of the kataifi sing through, and everyone will love it!

You’ll get requests for this ice cream

Slightly crisp kataifi

Creamy ice cream

Salty, crunchy pistachios

Greek-style ice cream with an explosion of flavor and texture that’s easy to make!

The perfect combo of ingredients

• Vanilla ice cream -rose or mastiha ice cream if you can find it
• Kataifi pastry -thawed and at room temperature
• Unsalted butter –melted
• Ground pistachios
• Optional garnish: cherry preserves

For the Syrup:

• Granulated sugar
• Water
• Pure vanilla extract or mastic or mastiha liqueur or rose water

How to make Kataifi Ice Cream

Make the Syrup

• Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• As soon as the sugar has dissolved, remove the pot from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
• Set aside to cool.

Make the Kataifi

• Set the vanilla ice cream at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften.
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
• Pull apart the kataifi strands as much as possible and place them into a 9 x 13-inch (23 by 33cm) baking pan.
• Drizzle the melted butter over the kataifi and toss to coat.
• Bake the kataifi on the center rack of the oven until golden and toasted –about 30-40 minutes.
• Allow the kataifi to cool, and then refrigerate it until chilled.
• Place the ice cream into the bowl of a tabletop mixer with the paddle attachment and break it into pieces.
• Mix on low while adding the kataifi to the bowl a little at a time.
• Add as much kataifi as desired to the ice cream. I add most of it and reserve about 2 cups for the topping or a snack.
• Transfer the ice cream to the same pan or into freezer-safe containers.
• Top with ground pistachios and chill until the ice cream is firm –at least 2 hours.

Serving

Your guests will want a generous scoop of this ice cream. So, use your ice cream cups or trifle bowls. I love to top it with more chopped pistachios and cherry preserves if I have it. The combination of the salty pistachios, creamy ice cream, and sour cherries is like nothing else before. There’s no way you’re not going to love it. Kali Orexi!

More Kataifi Dessert Ideas:

• Ekmek Kataifi
• Kataifi Nests
• Kataifi Rolls
• Kataifi Galaktoboureko

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Kataifi Ice cream

Yield: 10-12 servings

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Ingredients

• a half gallon of vanilla, rose, or mastiha ice cream
• 1 pound (455g) kataifi pastry, thawed and at room temperature
• 1/2 pound (230g) unsalted butter, melted
• ground pistachios
• Optional garnish: cherry preserves

For the Syrup:

• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons mastiha liqueur or 1 tablespoon rose water

Instructions

Make the Syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the sugar has dissolved remove the pot from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.

Make the Kataifi:

Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.

Pull apart the kataifi strands as much as possible. Place them into a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33cm) baking pan. Drizzle the melted butter over the kataifi and toss to coat.

Bake the kataifi on the center rack of the preheated oven until golden and toasted. About 30-40 minutes.

Allow the kataifi to cool and then refrigerate it until chilled.

Set the vanilla ice cream at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften.

Place the ice cream into the bowl of a tabletop mixer and break it into pieces. Add the kataifi to the bowl while the mixer is beating (with the paddle attachment) at low speed. Add as much kataifi as desired to the ice cream. I add most of it and reserve about 2 cups to use as the topping or for a snack.

Transfer the ice cream to the same pan or into freezer safe containers. Top with ground pistachios and chill until the ice cream is firm.

Serve topped with more pistachios and with cherry preserves. Kali Orexi!

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