Are we the only ones fantasizing about crazy ice cream combinations with only natural ingredients? We know that there is a whole world of healthier ice cream recipes out there just waiting to be revealed, and with our brand new ice cream maker (thank you uncle Sven, we love it!) we are going to start exploring it. This was actually our first try with the machine and we stumbled upon an interesting combo right away.
Have you tasted fig ice cream before? You probably have. We actually hadn’t tried it, but considering our love for this sweet and juicy fruit we imagined it would make a buon gelato. We used coconut milk instead of cow milk or cream, which was one of the ideas that we have fantasized about. It was exactly as good as we imagined it, and since we made it without eggs it is also vegan!
This is somewhat of an ice cream for grown ups (even though we hate that expression). The flavors are pretty fruity and complex, not at all like a standard sugar and cream recipe. Make sure to use ripe figs (preferably mission figs), they taste sweeter.
Have you got any favorite ice cream recipes of your own, without heaps of sugar? Leave a comment, we would love to know what it is.
Fig, Coconut & Blackberry Ice Cream
Makes around 4 cups (1 liter)
This recipe is not super sweet, that is how we like it. Taste it while it cooks and add more honey if you prefer.
10 fresh ripe figs
6 tbsp water
lemon zest, from 1 lemon
1/3 cup dried shredded coconut, unsweetened
fresh ginger, 1 inch (2,5 cm), minced (optional)
1/2 cup (1,2 dl) honey (vegans use agave nectar)
2 cups (5 dl) coconut milk
lemon juice, from 1/2 lemon
2/3 cup (1,6 dl) fresh blackberries
lemon balm
Start by removing the ends from the figs. Cut each fig into 8 pieces. Put them in a saucepan, add water, lemon zest, coconut flakes and ginger. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the figs are tender. Add honey and around 10 blackberries. Continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes (you might want to lower the heat a bit) until it reaches a jam-like consistency. When it’s done, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Use an immersion blender or food processor to quickly mix it together with the coconut milk and lemon juice. Don’t mix too hard, it’s nice with some fruit pieces here and there. Chill well in the fridge (otherwise you will have yourself a fig milkshake, we have tried that…) before you put the mixture in an ice cream maker for about 25 minutes or however long your brand of ice cream machine suggests. Serve with fresh blackberries and a few leaves of fresh lemon balm.
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