Fresh Fig Ice Cream Recipe

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Photo: Lara Hata © 2007

It's hard to think of a way to improve upon the sweet, nectarlike flavor of fresh figs—except, perhaps, to churn them into ice cream. These dark, soft fruits, the riper the better, are cooked down with lemon zest and juice (and a bit of sugar) before they're blended with cream and chilled.

Reprinted with permission from The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments by David Lebovitz, copyright © 2007. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House.

Recipe Details

Fresh Fig Ice Cream Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 30 mins
Chilling Time 4 hrs
Total 4 hrs 40 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds (1kg) fresh figs (about 20)

  • 1/2 cup (125ml) water

  • 1 lemon, preferably unsprayed

  • 3/4 cup (150g) sugar

  • 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

Directions

  1. Remove the hard stem ends from the figs, then cut each fig into 8 pieces. Put the figs in a medium, nonreactive saucepan with the water, and zest the lemon directly into the saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the figs are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

  2. Remove the lid, add the sugar, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the figs are a jamlike consistency. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, purée the fig paste in a blender or food processor with the cream and lemon juice. Taste, then add more lemon juice if desired.

  3. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Special equipment

Ice cream maker

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
361 Calories
16g Fat
58g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 361
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 10g 49%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 14mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 58g 21%
Dietary Fiber 5g 16%
Total Sugars 52g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 20mg 99%
Calcium 85mg 7%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 434mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)