Fig Ice Cream

It's fig season!! I've been waiting all summer for this. As I mentioned before, I'm fortunate to have a fig tree in my backyard and I already have been taking advantage of it. We have been eating figs in salads, desserts, and the latest treat, fig ice cream.

Fig ice cream is one of the best ways to enjoy perfectly ripe figs. This recipe makes a creamy, sweet and rich ice cream. I don't break down the figs too much because I love to find pieces of it in my scoop. I also love the texture from the seed of the figs, is that too weird? I love it anyway. 

I hope you like figs because more recipes are coming :). Last year we had so much fig all the way to late October,  I gathered the last bunch from the tree and made a huge batch of fig jam that I ended up giving away. I hope this year will be as good.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolk

1/2 cup sugar, divided 

2 cups figs, quartered 

2 tbsp honey 

1/2 tsp vanilla bean extract

In a large saucepan, combine the figs, half of the sugar and honey. Let it macerate at room temperature for 20 minutes. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. At this point, break down the fig (as much as you like) with a potato masher, cook for 3 minutes more. Let it cool completely, cover and refrigerate it for a couple of hours  until well chill. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the rest of the sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow. In another saucepan, combine milk, heavy cream and the vanilla bean. Heat the mixture until just begin to boil (but don't let it boil) Temper the milk mixture over the eggs, mix well and return the saucepan to the heat. Cook for three minutes more stirring well. Don't let the mixture come to boil. Let it cool completely, cover and refrigerate it for a couple of hours  until well chill. When ready, combine well the figs and the milk mixture and pour it into an ice cream maker and follow manufacture's instructions.