Fig Leaf Ice Cream
a flavor I never thought I would tryI read a random article about using fig leaves for cooking and so I then wondered if they would make a great ice cream flavor. Upon searching, I found a recipe by David Leibovitz and remembered using his ice cream book that he published back when I first started learning to make ice cream! And so, I had to make this ice cream flavor now. Luckily, my uncle has a fig tree! Fig leaves have a coconut/caramel flavor but more on the floral side. They’re great to use and I’m so happy to discover an ingredient I have never known of before! :D
I love figs. They’re so so delicious. Sadly, they’re very seasonal and are only available at certain times of the year. On the other hand, their leaves are basically around 24/7! Well… only if you have a fig tree which is very rare. haha. Luckily, my uncle has one though! The leaves taste very different from the fruit but they’re still delicious nonetheless! :)
Ingredients
I used NYT cooking ice cream recipe as a base: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016605-the-only-ice-cream-recipe-youll-ever-need
And I also used David Lebovitz’s recipe as inspiration: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/fig-leaf-and-honey-ice-cream-recipe/
6 fig leaves
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
6 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons honey
Directions
Thoroughly wash and dry your 6 fig leaves. Then arrange them separately on a baking sheet and heat them in a 350 degrees F oven for 3-5 minutes. They will start to dry out and curl at the edges. Nice and crispy!
Then add 1 cup milk, 2 cups heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar and a pinch of salt to a pot. Add the fig leaves and heat over medium heat. Heat until the sugar is dissolves and the milk is hot but not boiling. Turn off the heat and then let the leaves steep for an hour.
After an hour, remove the fig leaves but first give them a nice squeeze to extract all the flavor. Heat up the milk on medium to medium low heat.
In another bowl, whisk together 6 large egg yolks. Once the milk is simmering, remove from heat and gradually ladle around half of the milk mixture to the eggs, making sure to constantly whisk the eggs to prevent curdling. Return the tempered egg mixture to the pot then heat on medium low until the base reaches 170 degrees F or is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Add 3 tbs honey to the base let it cool. Then strain it through a sieve. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. I also place my churning container into the freezer the night before.
The next day, churn your ice cream according to manufacturer’s instructions. Mine usually takes around 45 minutes. Transfer your ice cream (it should be a soft serve consistency) to a container and freeze until it hardens a bit. Then enjoy!
Have you ever heard of fig leaves in cooking?!
