Kulfi

I have to thank the people at Saveur for including kulfi in the 'Saveur 100' this year. I had never heard of it before and was glad to have an excuse to try this recipe last weekend. This frozen milk dessert was the perfect conclusion to the Indian feast my family (or most of it) enjoyed Saturday night. Made with milk, not cream, it was light and refreshing. The flavors of saffron and cardamom built on themselves with each melting bite. And the pistachios. How can you go wrong with pistachios? One crucial thing: do not try to rush the reducing of the milk. Four hours does seem like a long time to be reducing milk, but what're you gonna do? I was working to a deadline so I turned up the heat, which did help the milk reduce more quickly, but I still have a pot coated with almost burnt milk in the sink. The kulfi, by some miracle, hadn't the faintest hint of a burnt flavor. I was lucky. So, if you find yourself wondering what to do with half a gallon of milk and four plus hours of your time, make kulfi.