Egg yolks – 5 (a bit of egg white won’t hurt)
Luxlait crème (46%) – 180 ml
Fresh milk (1%) – 570 ml
Sugar – 160 g (150 g for less sweet, 170–180 g for sweeter)
Salt – pinch
Saffron – ½ tsp threads, ground & bloomed in 2 tbsp ice water
Pistachios – 100 g, chopped (or lightly roasted)
Bloom saffron
Grind ½ tsp saffron threads.
Stir into 2 tbsp ice water. Let sit until golden-red.
Heat milk + cream
In a saucepan, combine:
570 ml milk
180 ml cream
pinch salt
Warm to 75 °C, just steaming.
Stir in the saffron infusion.
Whisk yolks + sugar
In a bowl, whisk 5 yolks + 160 g sugar until pale and thick.
Temper
Slowly whisk ~150 ml of hot milk/cream into yolks.
Pour yolk mixture back into saucepan.
Cook custard
Stir over medium-low heat until it thickens and reaches 82–84 °C (nappe stage).
Do not let it exceed 85 °C.
Cool
Strain into a clean bowl.
Cool quickly over an ice bath.
Refrigerate 4–6 hours (or overnight).
Freeze without machine
Pour custard into a shallow freezer-safe dish.
Freeze 15–30 minutes, then whisk vigorously.
Repeat every 15–30 minutes for 2–3 hours until thick and creamy.
Mix in 100 g pistachios during the last stirring round.
Final freeze
Transfer to a container.
Cover with parchment/plastic wrap against surface.
Freeze 2–3 hours (or overnight) before serving.