This is the richest and creamiest ice cream I’ve made to date on the blog, and the recipe is unusual in a few different ways. For one thing it includes mascarpone cheese in the base. That helps keep it beautifully scoopable even after a night in the freezer. The mascarpone lends a lusciousness that lingers on the palate, and it has a long culinary history with figs — they bring out the best in each other. I can’t think of another fruit that is as full bodied as Black Mission figs. They have great color and flavor, too, which all translates into an extra special gelato.
But even though figs do have a wonderful natural flavor, flavors can easily get lost in ice creams and gelatos. It has to do with the dulling effect of the creamy ingredients and the cold temperature. The flavor of this gelato came alive when I made a few small but essential additions to it as it churned away for its last few minutes in the machine. A dash of brandy, a dash of balsamic vinegar, and most important of all, the juice of a lemon. They took what could have been a shy, understated flavor and woke it up.
This is definitely a sophisticated flavor, great for an adult dinner party, but I don’t think it would be as big a hit with the kids. Which could be a good thing, now that I think of it. That just leaves more for you and me.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Black Mission figs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 8 oz package of mascarpone cheese (an Italian cream cheese)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Brandy
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Set oven to 400F
- Rinse and cut off the stems of the figs. Slice them in half and lay out, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
- Put the roasted figs into a food processor and puree them until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the machine a few times to make sure you get everything thoroughly pureed. Chill the puree.
- Put the cream, sugar, condensed milk, and mascarpone cheese in the food processor or blender. Process until the marscapone is completely blended into the cream. Chill the mixture.
- When everything is really cold, pour the cream mixture into your ice cream machine along with the fig puree. Process until almost finished, and then add in the vinegar, Brandy, and lemon juice. Taste the ice cream to adjust the amounts. Continue to process according to your machine's directions.
- Fold the soft gelato into a container and put it in the freezer for at least several hours to allow it to firm up.
25 Comments
Jeremy
September 18, 2016 at 12:21 pmFound 15m/400F wasn’t nearly long enough to roast. More like an hour to get the figs to collapse and get caramelized. Later, splashing some port and balsamic to loosen up the developing fond, the puree is very intense and quite delicious!
Jenoise Kay
September 14, 2016 at 8:47 pmSue, wouldn’t you like for someone to say they made your recipe and it was amazing? I think it would be really great if people could rate your recipe with stars + comments. I hope this criticism is helpful.
Sue
September 15, 2016 at 7:17 amYes, for sure, Jenoise, it’s always helpful to me and other readers when people come back and report on a recipe, I encourage it!
Robin
June 21, 2016 at 9:39 amEverything looks so very delicious! I have 1 question: what is MASCARPONE? And where can I find it??? Thank you, looking forward to trying this!?
Sue
June 21, 2016 at 9:41 amMascarpone is a soft Italian cheese, a little bit like cream cheese, and it’s usually found near the cream cheese or creme fraiche in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. I have a recipe for homemade mascarpone, here: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/minimal-monday-homemade-mascarpone/
Linda
July 6, 2015 at 5:23 pmDo you have to use Mission figs? I have a fig tree, but they are the smaller sweet brownish figs. I don’t recall the variety.
Sue
July 6, 2015 at 5:27 pmUse whatever variety you like, Linda!
Valerie
August 13, 2014 at 3:33 pmYou had me at mascarpone cheese; the deal was sealed with sweet milk + brandy! Yes. Yes. Yes!!!
2 sisters recipes
August 5, 2014 at 11:06 amWow Sue we love figs and mascarpone! We can only imagine how fabulous this must taste.
And your photos are stunning! Makes us want to dive into the cone right now.
Hope you are having a lovely summer!
Sue
August 5, 2014 at 11:34 amThank you :)
michael
August 3, 2014 at 6:01 pmHi Sue, I landed on your site from Bewitching Kitchen, glad I did, I have enjoyed visiting your site. I have been making ice cream all summer, always looking for something different to try. Your fig gelato looks delicious!!
Check out my site sometime, I am a woodworker, love to cook, bake and grill, hiking and gardening too! Here is a recent post on my Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Michael :)
https://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/vanilla-ice-cream-2/
Erin
August 3, 2014 at 3:56 pmI don’t even like figs, but this sounds and looks delicious!
Cathy | She Paused 4 Thought
August 2, 2014 at 5:24 pmWOW that gelato looks fantastic. I can’t wait to give it a try.
Kim Beaulieu
August 1, 2014 at 9:18 pmI want this, I need this, I must have this. This is serious grown up ice cream. Can’t wait to try it.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
August 1, 2014 at 3:57 pmI love the mascarpone and touch of balsamic in your gelato, what a treat!
Nik@ABrownTable
August 1, 2014 at 3:51 pmI love figs and ice cream, roasted figs sound divine!
Sue
August 1, 2014 at 5:54 pmThanks Nik, I think this was my first taste of figs in ice cream and I’m hooked!
Chris @ The Café Sucré Farine
August 1, 2014 at 2:53 pmAnother fabulous idea Sue. I love the thought of roasted figs and mascarpone in the ice cream!
Sue
August 1, 2014 at 5:55 pmThanks Chris…if there’s time left this summer I may well experiment with the mascarpone again.
Marly
August 1, 2014 at 1:34 pmWow – your pictures are stunning! I have never thought of the idea of adding figs to gelato, but I’m seriously intrigued and can’t wait to try this!
Sue
August 1, 2014 at 2:25 pmThanks Marly! The thing about figs is that they have very little moisture compared to most other fruits, so they do well in ice creams and gelatos.
Diane {Created by Diane}
August 1, 2014 at 1:20 pmI just happen to have a bunch of figs and this looks amazing!
Sue
August 1, 2014 at 2:25 pmFigs are just coming into season, yay!
Susan
August 1, 2014 at 12:17 pmThis sounds fantastic, Sue! I love figs and the mascarpone in the recipe must make it so creamy and delicious.
Sue
August 1, 2014 at 2:26 pmThanks Susan — I think the mascarpone did the trick.