When figs are in season in the late summer, it is a perfect time to dust off the ice cream maker and give fig ice cream a try. The frozen treat can be made using fresh or dried figs. Fig ice cream flavors range from plain fig to a mixture of figs and other fruits, nuts and flavors, such as banana fig ice cream. Similar to many other ice creams, key ingredients in most types of fig-flavored ice cream are raw eggs, cream and sugar.
Fig ice cream recipes featuring dried figs typically call for six to 10 figs. The figs are chopped into small pieces and the stalks are removed. The eggs are separated, and the whites are whipped until stiff. The yolks are blended with the figs, and the cream is whipped. The ingredients are folded together, sugar is added to taste and the mixture is frozen before being processed in a churn.
Using fresh figs to make ice cream often involves cutting the figs into several pieces, removing the stems and cooking them with water and lemon until tender. The figs are cooled, then added to the remaining ice cream ingredients. The mixture is typically chilled before being put into an ice cream maker.
Louisiana fig ice cream features milk, sugar and mashed, fig preserves. The eggs are separated and the whites are whipped until firm before being added to the mixture. The figs are already sweet, so the amount of sugar used in many fig ice cream recipes is simply a matter of taste. Separating the eggs during the ice cream-making process offers a lighter texture to the finished fig ice cream.
Banana fig ice cream also features fig preserves. The preserves are combined with vanilla bean ice cream and a large, frozen banana that has been mashed. The mixture is frozen until solid, then served topped with caramel sauce.
Two-fig ice cream combines dried and fresh figs. The dried figs are boiled in water and allowed to plump up. The fresh figs are quartered and cooked along with water and lemon zest. The two groups of figs are combined with sugar and agave syrup, cooked and pureed. This mixture is added to yogurt and lemon juice, and chilled before being churned in an ice cream maker.
An eggless fig ice cream option is also available. The recipe calls for fresh or dried figs, milk and honey. Instead of eggs, cornflour and condensed milk can be substituted. Sherry is an optional ingredient in the recipe, and chopped nuts are used for a garnish.