These ice cream sundaes are one of those miraculous desserts that can be pulled together in an instant and have you looking like a genius. Its warm, spicy flavors are the essence of Middle Eastern sweets and a perfect fit for this time of year. Silan, or date syrup, is a Middle Eastern equivalent of maple syrup, sorghum, or molasses. Use a good-quality brand that tastes like dates: sweet and spicy with hints of citrus.
Makes 8 servings
1 quart vanilla ice cream
½ to ¾ cup top-quality raw, toasted, or unhulled tahini
½ to ¾ cup homemade or good-quality store-bought silan (date syrup)
½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
¼ cup crumbled halvah (optional)
Scoop the ice cream into 8 bowls, dividing it evenly. Top each serving with a generous drizzle each of tahini and silan. Sprinkle generously with the pecans and top with halvah.
Reprinted with permission from The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen © 2015 by Amelia Saltsman, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
I would love to know where to find the tahini that comes out stringy. It was magnificent. Can you please remind me? Thank you!
It’s actually the halvah “crumble” topping that is threadlike. Unfortunately it’s been hard to find halvah in that form in the U.S. I’d try Israeli or middle eastern markets; barring that, get good quality halvah and crumble with your fingers.