Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs Fresh Black Mission Figs, stemmed and quartered
  • 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar (for ripple)
  • 1/4 cup Honey
  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Good quality Balsamic Vinegar
  • Pinch of Fine Sea Salt (for ripple)
  • 1 cup Whole Milk
  • 2 cups Heavy Cream (35%+ fat)
  • 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar (for custard base, split)
  • 6 Large Egg Yolks
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
  • Pinch of Fine Sea Salt (for custard base)

Instructions:

  1. Phase 1: Creating the Fig Ripple - Combine the figs, the ripple sugar (1/4 cup), honey, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
  2. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens significantly and the figs are completely soft and broken down (about 15–20 minutes). It should resemble a thick jam.
  3. Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Allow the mixture to cool completely to room temperature, then transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator until needed (at least 2 hours).
  4. Phase 2: Preparing the Custard Base (Crème Anglaise) - In a saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, 100g of the base sugar, and the pinch of salt. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form around the edge—do not boil. Remove from heat.
  5. In a separate large bowl, vigorously whisk the 6 egg yolks with the remaining 50g of sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and ribbons off the whisk (the blanchir stage).
  6. Temper the Eggs: Slowly pour about 1 cup (240ml) of the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture while constantly whisking. This gradually raises the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.
  7. Cook the Custard: Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Stir constantly over low heat until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (nappe consistency), reaching 175°F to 180°F (80°C to 82°C). Immediately strain the finished custard through a fine-mesh sieve, stir in the vanilla extract/paste, and chill completely in the refrigerator (4 hours minimum, overnight is best).
  8. Phase 3: Churning and Maturation - Pour the completely chilled custard base into the pre-frozen canister of the ice cream machine. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions (usually 20–30 minutes) until the ice cream is the consistency of soft-serve.
  9. Ripple: Transfer the churned ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Drizzle half of the chilled fig ripple over the top. Use a knife or spoon handle to gently swirl the jam, creating ribbons. Repeat with the remaining ripple.
  10. Harden (Cure): Seal the container tightly and place it in the deep freezer for at least 4 hours to harden to the desired scoopable consistency.