These Persian Love Cupcakes will enchant you with their looks and flavor. With a hint of halva flavor, salted pistachios on the top, and rose in the flavor, shape, and to garnish on top, these beautiful cupcakes are every bit as tasty in each bite as they are to make.
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Who doesn’t love ice cream? And this delicious and timeless combination is perfect to surprise your significant other or loved ones for a great Valentine’s day (or any special day) dessert.
It’s luscious, creamy, tasty, and has this gorgeous pink hue from the rose syrup that is so pretty! The best part, I didn’t have to cook it and I spent less than 10 minutes making it! The hardest part was waiting for the ice cream to set!
Pistachios are an evergreen favorite of mine. I add it to anything I can and pistachio ice cream is a favorite of mine. For Valentine’s Day, I wanted to add a little symbol of love to this recipe and what beats roses for love day? As I experimented, the addition of rose syrup was a given but I played around with rose water also because while the syrups lends a sweetness and a beautiful pink color, the rose water is where the aroma comes in. That beautiful, sweet rose flavor makes me think of flowers in the house!
Go ahead, give this a try for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day and I promise you will not be disappointed! The earthy and floral combination is sure to be a hit!
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this delicious Rose Pistachio Ice Cream!
** I have linked the Rose Syrup and Rose Water to purchase online however you can also find it at your local MIddle Eastern or Indian Food Markets.
If you love pistachios as much as I do, try out some of these other recipes:
Pistachio and Goat Cheese Crusted Spicy Lamb Chops
Pomegranate Pistachio Chia Pudding
Herb Roasted Acorn Squash with Pomegranates and Pistachios
Pear Halwa Cake
Fresco Carpaccio
I first learned what arancini is when I was watching Giada on Food Network. Man they looked delicious. Rice and cheese mixed together, battered, and fried. I don’t think you can go wrong. I love the salty and creamy and cheesy combination. Oh I can go on and on!
Well, seeing it on tv and actually trying them are two different things. The first time I tried it was on a date with the husband. Oh.My.God! All I wanted was to eat these delicious arancini for every course! Seeing them on tv, then actually eating them are two different things, and I’ll tell you what. Eating is absolutely much better for this case!
I’ve made quite a few attempts over the years to make these. Initially, they melted as I was trying to fry them. Then the seasoning was off, and each try I missed something until finally, I was able to make a delicious batch! I’m so glad this was one project I didn’t abandon!
About a month ago, we had leftover pearl couscous (it seems we always do). I wanted to upcycle it and have the girls eat it in a different way and instantly I thought of arancini. It was a long shot but in my mind, I thought, hey, a leftover grain that could potentially bind with cheese. All I had to do was season it correctly. Results? The kids want me to make this for them everyday! Let’s not get carried away though. I did make quite a few and had to really work on distracting the girls with other foods because they are just as in love with arancini as I am!
Try these out for appetizers, make them a little larger and have them for a main course, make them bite sized and serve them for parties. I served them with warm marinara sauce and a sprinkle of chopped basil and for me, that was the perfect pairing.
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy these decadent Couscous Arancini!
**You can use day old couscous to make this recipe. Just warm it up a little and follow the rest of the steps to combine the arancini mixture.
Here are the tools I used to make this recipe:
If you know me, you know I love my chai. I love exploring different types of chai flavor combinations. When I had this Kashmiri Pink Chai the first time many years ago at a friend’s house, I became obsessed. I had tried intermittently over the years to recreate this delicious chai but was unsuccessful.
A few months ago, I was talking to my friend, R, and she and I relived memories of us drinking this Kashmiri Chai at her place. She gave me a few tips to make this chai successfully, which I will be passing on to you. Check out the recipe card below, as I’ll include the tips in the notes section.
As I practiced and made this chai, I adapted the chai recipe a little. For starters, I cut down the amount that is traditionally made. Since it takes up to an hour and sometimes more to boil the tea leaves and each ingredient added at a different stage, many people tend to make a large quantity of the Kahwa (the boiled tea before the addition of milk which many people also drink), I cut down the amount. Being the only tea drinker in my house, I didn’t see the need to make so much.
Also, I put my own little touch on this delicious chai by adding rose petals to the chai at the end after serving it into teacups. Usually you will find the chai garnished with nuts, almonds or pistachios.
WHERE DOES THE PINK COLOR COME FROM?
Believe it or not, from the reaction of baking soda added to the green tea leaves. What I found is that the color became deeper when I added the sugar to it. This was absolutely the highlight. So much fun to see the chemical reactions (science lover in me).
The first sip that I took reminded me how decadent it is, that I instantly knew this had to be one of my Valentine’s specials. This is a very creamy chai but a little savory too. As I’ve been taught, a bit of salt is added to the chai towards the end.
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this delicious Kashmiri Pink Chai!
**You can strain the tea right before adding the milk and store it in a jar in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Just add milk and boil when you are ready to drink this!
**I used Kashmiri Green Tea Leaves which came with cinnamon in it. You can omit the extra cinnamon if it is not to your taste.
**If you are not able to get Kashmiri Green Tea Leaves, any good quality of green tea leaves will still work.
**The constant scoop and pour is important to making this chai. Traditionally it is done by pouring from one vessel to another from a significant height to give it the froth. I didn't feel comfortable doing so which is why I used a ladle for my technique.
Here are the tools that I used to make this recipe:
