Homemade Halva Ice Cream with homemade halva and homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade halva ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Grease parchment paper well and line a pan with it, so the paper comes up over the sides.

   Baking panParchment paper
2. 2
   Put the sugar and water in a small pot, bring to a boil and cook another 6–8 minutes, until the syrup is thick and stringy.

   Small saucepanStove

   💡On a candy thermometer, the syrup is ready at 121°C.
3. 3
   Beat the tahini in the mixer bowl with the paddle on low speed, raise to medium and pour the hot syrup in a thin stream down the side of the bowl.

   Stand mixer

   💡The syrup is extremely hot: pour it slowly in a thin stream, and don't touch it.
4. 4
   Beat until the syrup is fully absorbed into the tahini, add the vanilla and beat another 30–40 seconds.

   Stand mixer
5. 5
   Transfer the mixture to the pan and press down well.

   Baking pan
6. 6
   Leave at room temperature 6 hours at least, until the halva sets, and slice diced.

   Knife

   💡Halva keeps in the fridge up to two weeks.

For the Ice Cream

1. 7
   Whip the cold cream with the sugar until firm and holding its shape.

   BowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Whip cream very cold, in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, and stop when it holds firm: overwhipping turns it grainy and buttery.
2. 8
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
3. 9
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. 10
   In another bowl, mix the cream cheese, tahini and vanilla with half of the halva until smooth.

   Bowl
5. 11
   Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture gently, until the mixture is even.

   Silicone spatula

   💡Fold, don't stir: the air in the whipped cream is what replaces the ice cream machine.

   💡Fold with a spatula, in broad strokes from the bottom up, and stop when there are no streaks: vigorous mixing knocks the air out of the foam. Add whipped mixtures in stages: a quarter first, to lighten the mixture.
6. 12
   Transfer to Loaf pan, sprinkle the rest of the halva on top, cover and freeze at least 6 hours, without stirring.

   Loaf panFreezer
7. 13
   Move the ice cream from the freezer to the counter 5 minutes before serving, so it's easy to scoop.
8. 14
   Before serving, chop the pistachios and sprinkle over the top.