We are skipping over Pheasant Day to arrive at Pistachio Day of Brumaire. Pistachios have been with us for a looong time. Pliny the Elder himself namechecks them in Natural History. They are drupes, like almonds, cashews or walnuts and have a fleshy coating on the outside of the seed shell when unripe. Supposedly, you can actually hear the pistachio seed splitting while on the tree, but a cursory search of the internet did not provide any audio.

Today’s recipe is part two from Orange Day. I am using the candied orange and some pistachios to make a delightful ice cream from David Lebovitz’s Perfect Scoop.

Pistachio Orange Ice Cream 

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

pinch of salt

1 orange, zested

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

5 egg yolks

2 tbs of candied orange peel (and some of the syrup made along with the candied peel)

1/2 cup pistachios, chopped

Put the half-and-half, sugar, honey, salt and orange zest in a medium pan and bring to a simmer. In two bowls, separate the eggs. Add some of the warm honey mixture to the eggs and whisk. Keep adding the liquid to the eggs until well blended then place it all back in the pan. In a clean bowl, add the heavy cream and put a strainer on top of the bowl. Bring the pan to a medium simmer and stir frequently until the mixture has slightly thickened. Pour into the bowl through the strainer. Add two teaspoons of the syrup from the candied oranges. Place the mixture in the fridge until completely chilled (I usually wait until the next day). Once chilled, put the ice cream base in an ice cream maker if you have one. When it is finished in the ice cream maker and you are scooping it into your container to freeze, spread the chopped pistachio and chopped orange peel throughout and freeze.