Fig Leaf Ice Cream

Anyone who knows us knows our love for fresh figs and our fig trees. They hold a romantic spot in my heart due to the fact when Todd first moved in with me while we were dating, one of the very first things he showed up with to move in was two fig trees from his garden. I can still remember his excitement pulling his jeep in the driveway with his two fig trees safely strapped to the back trailer. I knew at that point he was the one and was so touched by it that I started my first food blog, Two Fig Trees, which I still keep for future use one day in our retirement journey.

When we purchased the estate, the two fig trees of course came with us and have been planted in the ground off the river patio and have done beautifully, surviving the winter months covered.

Last year I surprised Todd with a day trip to an undisclosed location. He was very curious to see where our adventure was going to lead us. A greenhouse? A distillery? A great new restaurant? Nope. We headed to Flemington, NJ and as we pulled into a development Todd became even more confused. It was a fig tree farm! Bill's Fig Trees, located in Flemington, NJ sells many varieties of beautiful fig trees from his house which contains thousands of trees that he individually plants and relocates to the outside every year. Bill has even developed a potting system to help promote large healthy growth for the fig trees.

We purchased 4 different varieties of fig trees, 2 of them a white fig variety. The one called Texas White is the winner so far for its large, beautiful pale green figs with a sweet floral taste. These figs are ready for picking once you see them around the size of key limes. Like all figs, a good sign that they are ready for picking is the fig itself will start to droop on the tree.

Our fig tree numbers have now grown from two to 8 fig trees with more planned for spring as we do a refresh of our meditation garden. We love to add them to cheese boards for our AirBnB guests in their suite for an added special touch to their experience of staying with us. Always a huge hit! One of our last guests were in aww of our fig trees on our patio, commenting that they have only ever seen them grown outside in Italy!

As our fig production grows we are always looking for creative ways to use them, like our fig tree ice cream. Lightly sweet with a unique flavor that comes from infusing the cream with the fig leaves. We use an ice cream maker to finish off the recipe and store 1/2 gallon tubs in the freezer for a summer dessert. It goes especially well with homemade cherry pie.

Fig Leaf and Honey Ice Cream Makes 1 Qt

Ingredients:

6-8 fig leaves (the younger leaves impart a better flavor)

2 cups Heavy Cream

1 cup Whole Milk

6 TBS granulated sugar

5 lg egg yolks

3-4 TBS honey (depending on sweetness level desired)

pinch salt

Directions:

1. In a skillet or griddle, heat the leaves on medium-low until they are partially dry and fragrant, turning as needed.

2. In a medium saucepan, add the milk, sugar, salt and 1/2 of the Heavy Cream. Put the fig leaves in mixture and heat on low until the sugar is dissolved. Cover pot and remove from heat. Let it sit for at least one hour at room temperature.

3. After sitting, remove the leaves and squeeze them over the cream mixture to retain as much essence as possible. Return the mixture to the stovetop and heat on low.

4. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.

5. In a large bowl, add ice and water to about the halfway mark to create an ice bath. Put a medium bowl inside the bath and pour the remaining cup of Heavy Cream into it. Allow it to cool while you continue with the recipe.

6. When the milk/cream mixture is warm, slowly whisk it into the egg yolks. Scrape this mixture back into the pot you just poured from and heat over medium until it begins to thicken. Be careful not to overheat it. You can use a thermometer and stop at 160F. If it begins to separate, blend it together.

7. Strain this mixture into the bowl of cream in the ice bath.

8. Stir in the honey until it is well blended in.

9. Keep it chilled until you are ready to finish in an ice cream machine.