The New Persian Kitchen (25 page)

Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the rose water for a few seconds. Whisk together the flours, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl, and beat into the butter in two batches, until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press it into a disk. Wrap and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap it, and lay it in the middle of a large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Fold the wrap or paper over the dough. Form the dough into a log approximately 10 inches in length and 1½ inches in diameter, then square off the long sides to form a bar. Chill in the refrigerator until the dough is very firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice the bar into cookies ¼ inch thick and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Press a pinch of pistachios into the center of each cookie.

Bake the cookies until the bottoms are just golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. The cookies can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Put the vermicelli in a bowl. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and pour over the vermicelli. Soak for 4 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut the vermicelli into 1-inch lengths.

In a saucepan, combine the rhubarb with the water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the rhubarb is very soft. Let cool completely.

Pour the rhubarb into a blender. Add the rose water and lime juice and blend until smooth. Stir the vermicelli and rhubarb together in a large bowl. Pour into a shallow baking dish and freeze, uncovered.

Rake the
faloodeh
with a fork after 2 hours to prevent it from freezing into a solid mass. Freeze and stir again after 2 hours. Repeat after another 2 hours, if necessary. The
faloodeh
will have a malleable consistency, somewhere between ice cream and sorbet, within 4 to 6 hours. Scoop it into serving bowls and top with pistachios and lime juice. Drizzle with sour cherry syrup, if desired. The
faloodeh
tastes best within 24 hours of being made.

To make the semifreddo, line a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, so that the parchment hangs over each side of the pan. You’ll need to cut one long, narrow piece to cover the bottom, and one long, wide piece to cover the sides. Spread the pistachios over the bottom of the pan.

In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. Transfer to a different bowl, and store in the refrigerator. Replace the bowl on the mixer without washing.

Whisk the sugar, egg yolks, cardamom, and salt in a large stainless-steel bowl. Set the bowl over a large saucepan of gently boiling water and whisk for about 6 minutes, until the sugar is melted, the yolks are thick, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the mixture reads 170°F.