Fig Ice Cream

Last night I took my next-door-neighbor's lead and picked more figs from the fig tree down the street and churned them into what was probably the best ice cream I have ever had in my life. (Yes, even better than Carl's in Virginia...) I also tried to make waffle cones; complete disaster considering I have no waffle cone iron. I got two cones to work by smashing the batter in a frying pan with the buttered bottom of a cake pan. And those tasted really fantastic - like almonds, butter and cinnamon. But one had a huge hole in the bottom so was useless as far as an ice cream cone goes.

But back to the ice cream: I will divulge the recipe just in case you have a barbecue to go to and nothing in the house but a can of coconut milk. I am sure this would work with any fresh fruit you can find - but you might need to adjust the amounts to get a good consistency.

I also need to note the original recipe is from Vice Cream by Jeff Rogers, which I highly recommend. We used the ice cream attachment for our kitchen aid mixer. (Also highly recommended.)

Fig Ice Cream

You will need:

1 (16 oz.) Can Coconut Milk
2-1/4 Cups Fresh Figs, Washed and Cut Into Quarters
3/4 Cup Maple Syrup

Method:

(Note: Original recipe calls for peeling the figs: I said screw that and it turned out fine. The particular fig I used has a very thin pinkish/purple skin and also the figs were mostly unblemished.)

In a blender combine coconut milk, 1-1/2 cups of the figs and maple syrup. Blend on high until smooth - at least one minute. (I did two minutes.) Put mix in freezer for an forty minutes to an hour or refrigerate overnight. Place remaining 3/4 cup of figs in the freezer.

Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions and add remaining quartered figs within the last five minutes of churning. Eat right away as the fantastic soft-serve consistency it will be after churning or keep frozen in an airtight container and let soften before eating.