Fresh figs have to be imported and because they are quite perishable they are not often of a great quality, but sometimes some nice figs are available in the Netherlands. A nice way to use them is to make ice cream. I’ve used a recipe from SeriousEats that uses lemon zest and lemon juice to enhance the flavor, and it was very nice indeed. The recipe is quite easy as nog eggs are involved. Here’s what I did…
Ingredients
Makes about 750 ml (3 cups)
900 grams (2 lbs) fresh figs, plus additional figs for garnish (optional)
1 untreated lemon
150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar
250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
Preparation
Wash and dry the figs and remove the tough stem.
Chop the figs.
Put the figs in a saucepan with 125 ml (1/2 cup) of water.
Add the grated zest of a lemon.
Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add 150 grams (3/4 cup) of sugar.
Stir to incorporate and bring to a boil. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the figs have the consistency of jam.
Puree the figs with a blender. Allow them to cool to room temperature.
Add 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream.
Stir to mix.
Add a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste. Allow the mixture to chill in the refrigerator.
Once it is properly chilled, churn it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer into a container and allow to firm up in the freezer.
Wine pairing
This is great with Brachetto d’Aqui, the red brother of Moscato d’Asti.
Flashback
Fresh pasta with sausage, dried porcini mushrooms, and cream is a wonderful combination of flavors.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
Oh my, that really sounds wonderful. I don’t think I would have thought to use figs in ice cream. Had you considered removing the seeds? Just wondering.
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I had not considered it and the seeds did not bother me, but I suppose you could sieve the fig jam after blending it to remove the seeds.
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I was just wondering. I prefer seedless raspberry jam, for example. and fig seeds can feel gritty.
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Che bella idea Stefan. Dev’essere delizioso!
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Stefan, must reblog this as I have some readers who love figs as much as I do! I particularly like not having any eggs involved in the ice cream–and thanks for the wine recommendation.
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Reblogged this on A single serving and commented:
I just have to pass along this post from Stefan’s Gourmet Blog. I love figs, love ice cream, and this is easy. I’ll be anticipating the fig season next year, though we have brown Turkey figs here, rather than the deep purple ones.
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Non sembra difficile
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Non lo è, infatti, se hai la macchina per fare gelati.
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Hmm, I’ve never heard of fresh fig ice cream. I feel fortunate to live in a fig climate, so I get them regularly when they’re in season. It’s such a delicate flavor, that I’m wondering if the ice cream is equally delicate tasting? It’s a beautiful color!
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The ice cream tastes more like fig jam than like fresh figs, which makes sense as the figs are first turned into a jam. I suppose you could make a fig sorbet with uncooked figs to get a more delicate flavor, but that may be TOO delicate to taste anything in the frozen state.
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What a beautiful way of enjoying fig season. The colour is absolutely beautiful Stefan!
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Great, great gelato! I adore figs! They are very popular in Rome where I used to eat them with focaccia and prosciutto. Unfortunately I can’t say the same thing here. However, sometimes I see them. I’m bookmarking your recipe! Thank you!
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When eating the figs raw like that, it is even more important they are of top notch quality. This recipe for gelato is a bit more forgiving in that respect.
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This is actually excellent news since I doubt I’ll find top notch quality! 😉
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A fabulous gelato. Fig in ice-cream is a first for me. 🙂
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This is one recipe that has truly piqued my interest, Stefan — not that this is the first of your recipes to do so. I so enjoy figs but never thought to see them in a gelato. I know a certain lady in Michigan who will be very pleased to try this. Don’t worry. I won’t take credit. I’ll tell her the recipe came from the Dutch branch of the Clan. 🙂
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Wow! That looks really delicious 🙂
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I started following the blog when I found this very inspired recipe for using the figs that grow in my backyard. I made fig one day and peach the next. I have two comments: you can use much less water (like 15 ml) if you use a very heavy bottomed pan, and turn to low heat, and wait for the fruit to release its juice (something you are probably familiar with if you make jam). Also, I would add lemon zest at end of cooking, to keep it sharp.
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