Fig Ice cream

Ingrediance:



350 g ready-to-eat dried figs

25 g soft brown sugar

570 ml milk

4 large egg yolks

1 rounded teaspoon custard powder

110 g caster sugar

1 vanilla bean split

2 tablespoons brandy

150 ml double cream





Method:



First, place the figs and brown sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and add 275 ml water. Bring this up to simmering point and simmer gently with a lid on for about 5 minutes, then uncover and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the figs are plump and tender. Now remove from the heat, replace the lid and leave them until they're completely cold.



The next stage is to purée the figs, so drain off the cooking liquid, snip off and discard the tops of the figs, then place them either in a liquidiser or a food processor, along with the milk, and blend them until they have become smooth and uniform. Now press the mixture through a sieve to extract any tough, resistant pieces of skin.



Next, make the custard by whisking the egg yolks, caster sugar. Now bring the milk, vanilla bean and fig mixture up to the boil, and then pour it on to the egg yolk mixture. Return the whole lot to the saucepan and bring it back to the boil gently, still stirring with a whisk to keep it smooth. If it looks like curdling, don't worry: just whisk it together again as it cools.

Now let the custard cool before combining it with the brandy and the double cream (lightly whipped until it just holds its shape). Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and churn according to the maker's instructions – you will probably have to do this in two batches. If you don't have an ice-cream maker then whip it by hand as soon as it freezes. Pack the ice cream into a storage container and store in the freezer until ready to use. Before serving remove it to the fridge for 30 minutes to soften.