Because I am still finding it hard to adjust to being back at home after my summer holiday, I thought it would be good to try and re-create one of the ice creams I particularly enjoyed this year in France. Each night after dinner we would all stroll down to the ice cream kiosk for our nightly ice cream fix. Fortunately for us the kiosk in question happens to sell some of the best ice cream in south-west France.
O Sorbet d’Amour has such an incredibly long list of flavours that in the two years of visiting it each night and trying different flavours each time, I am nowhere near to sampling even half of the menu. There is as long a list of sorbets as there is ice cream, some of which feature ingredients like “Fleur de Cactus”, “Calisson d’Aix” (candied fruits) or “Reglisse” (liquorice).
Some of the “parfums” I tried this year were “Figue” (fig sorbet), “Creme Brûlée”, ” Confiture du lait” (dulce de leche), “Croostie Cacahuetes” (crunchy nuts) along with many other tastings from the rest of the family. These included blood orange sorbet, raspberry sorbet, mint choc chip ice cream and several other variations on a chocolate theme but the exquisite “Mascarpone figue” is the one on which I have based my latest flavour.
Fig and Honey Ice Cream
The interesting thing about Sorbet d’Amour is it’s size. It is tiny, as wide as two ice cream fridges put together but manned by at least three servers during its busy period which happens to be between 10-11pm at night it seems, catering for all members of the family in true French style. We would stand in line waiting excitedly while all the other far fancier ice cream parlours looked bereft of customers.
Even better than that, we could walk back to our flat along the cool sandy beach revelling in our latest flavoured ices whilst passing groups of French teens smoking and drinking in a stylishly civilised manner with the sun was setting around us. That is exactly why it is so hard coming back to reality you see.
I decided to base my ice cream on the fig and mascarpone (Mascarpone figue) flavour selected by Mr.Scott and I used this recipe for inspiration but I increased the amount of honey and lowered the amount of sugar when cooking my fig compote and added a splash of Brandy to lift the flavour. My fig and honey ice cream base is also indulgently rich, virtually all cream with a splash of milk but this is something you could easily adapt by changing the cream to milk ratio to suit your taste.
More fig recipe inspiration for you:
Fig beetroot & Feta salad – Tinned Tomatoes
Fig Jam – The Garden deli
Cardamom spiced fig & plum galette – Food to Glow
Gluten Free fig cake – Maison cupcake
Roasted balsamic figs – Cook Sister
Fig & almond tray bake – Feeding boys
Fig & walnut biscotti – Franglais Kitchen
I am entering my ice cream into the following challenge:
Simple and in Season – Franglais Kitchen & Ren Behan
Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream – Kavey Eats
Fig & Honey Ice Cream
Ingredients
- For the ice cream base:)
- 500 ml Double cream
- 100 ml Full fat milk
- 6 Egg yolks
- 100 g Caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- For the fig compote:)
- 500 g Fresh figs roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Demerara sugar
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 Star anise
- 100 ml Water
- 1 tbsp Brandy/Cognac
Instructions
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For the ice cream base:)
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Heat the cream, milk and vanilla in a saucepan over a low to medium heat until the mixture begins to come up to the boil,
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Before it reaches full boiling point, remove the cream mixture from the heat,
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While the cream mixture is heating up place the egg yolks and caster sugar into a bowl and whisk them together,
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Pour a little of the hot cream mix into the egg mix and stir it through before adding in the rest of the warm cream mixture and whisk well to combine,
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Pour the egg,cream and vanilla custard back into the saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat until the custard thickens which should take between 5 and 8 minutes,
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Once thickened remove from the heat, pour into a shallow container to chill it down quickly and refrigerate until completely cold (I left mine overnight)
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For the fig compote:)
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Place all ingredients apart from the Brandy into a saucepan, bring to the boil and then let the mixture simmer away on a medium heat for about 40 minutes until the fig mixture has reduced and become jam like,
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Once reduced, take the fig compete off the heat and let it cool a little before you blend it to a smooth paste using a stick blender/food processor then add the Brandy,
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Place the compote in the fridge to cool down completely (I left mine overnight)
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For the ice cream:)
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Freeze the vanilla custard base using an ice cream machine,
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When it is frozen transfer the ice cream to a large bowl and fold in the fig compote leaving ripples of fig as you would in a raspberry ripple ice cream,
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Transfer the ice cream to a plastic tub and freeze until set.
I really wish I could like figs, as they look so good.
Dannii, you might like this as the figs combine with the vanilla ice cream so they are more jam like than fig like.
What a great combination of flavours Laura. Figs remind me of the hotel at our pool in Portugal where we are going at the end of next week. The pool is surrounded by fig trees! Your ice cream would be nice and cooling on holibobs.
Oh lucky you Stuart, love the sound of your holiday and even better there are figs to pick straight from the tree. Enjoy yourself!
Figs and honey sounds like such a wonderful ice cream flavouring especially with a touch of brandy, yum!
Thanks Jen, I do think the Brandy really works, have you tried prunes soaked in Brandy, they are amazing too!
There is something very special about French ice cream shops. I love the range of parfums and I like the idea of fig and mascarpone which I’ve never had. It’s a must make I think because I love figs. In fact I must pop out and get some form the market!
Yes do, they are so good at the moment and cheap at the market!
I can see why you were reluctant to come back from holiday Laura – it all sounds fantastic. But then ideas for new recipes to try at home are really good souvenirs to bring back with you. Thanks for the link too!
Yes, I keep eating it and thinking of how I want to go back next year Sarah!
how lovely Laura – I love the different flavours of ice cream you can find when travelling. This sounds great and what a wonderful holiday you had!
Thanks Nazima, I agree it’s always good discovering new flavours. That’s what holidays are for!
What a beautiful ice cream! We love figs and I recently did a fig skinnifreddo thing just for us (not blogged) but loving the more decadent look of your creation! PS I wish we had Reglisse ice cream – my fave.
Wow, I must try Reglisse next time then Kellie. Your fig skinnyfreddo sounds lovely, I know I would enjoy it, you always make things I would want to try!
I adore fig ice cream, and the addition of honey always brings the flavours out. It’s one I choose too when I see it at ice cream vendors. Lovely idea and thanks for joining BSFIC!