Going down memory lane with icecream and recipe for Fig and Vanilla Icecream
"As a kid, the only thing I really cared about was candy. Candy is the only reason you want to live when you’re a kid. Ages zero through ten, candy is your life, there’s nothing else. Family, friends, school…they’re only obstacles in the way of getting more candy." Jerry Seinfeld I can say the same
Soak the figs in hot water for 3-4 hours till plump and soft. Grind to a rough puree, using some of the soaked water if required. If some pieces of fig remain, it is fine - it will fun biting into the little chewy pieces later!
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine all but half cup of milk, condensed milk and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
Slit the vanilla pod with the tip of a sharp knife - scrape out the seeds into the simmering milk. I added the empty pods into the milk too, to use any seeds that got left out inside. [If using extract, add in two teaspoons of extract after removing the mixture from the flame].
Mix the cornflour in the reserved half cup cold milk and add to the simmering mixture. Bring to a boil. The simmering milk will thicken as the cornflour gets cooked.
Add the fig puree at this stage. Stir / whisk well and remove from flame. [If using vanilla extract, add at this stage].
Cool the content of the pan and pour into two plastic icecream boxes. (I used two old ice cream containers 500 ml each).
Turn your freezer's setting to maximum and keep the boxes in the freezer for 4-6 hours.
When the ice cream is nearly set, remove the contents of boxes into a large bowl and churn with an electric hand blender till soft and creamy, around 6-8 minutes.
Return the content to the boxes and freeze again.
You can repeat the same procedure after 3-4 hours and freeze for a creamier texture.
Notes
If you don't have an electric hand blender, use your food processor or else a wooden spoon to beat the mixture manually.
Taste: The ice cream was mildly sweet and very rich in flavours - vanilla with its intoxicating sweet aroma and the figs with their natural sweetness and textures. The combination worked beautifully for us. The condensed milk almost made up for the absence of the eggs - providing the rich creamy taste.I used regular 3% milk, but you can use whole milk for better taste and more creaminess.The only other ice cream on this blog is the Mango-coconut ice cream, which you might like to try if the mango season is still on in your part of the world.
