Fig Leaf Gelato with Jammy Roasted Fig Swirl

It is summertime, which means figs are in season. And it also means fig leaves are out there waiting to be used in syrups, oils, cakes, and of course ice cream or gelato, whichever you prefer.

It is Monday which means it is time for another recipe.

I would say I am a strong independent woman and yet I still seek the approval of my partner when it comes to buying new kitchen appliance, gadget, or plate (I had a plate hoarding problem which has now been upgraded to a glassware hoarding problem). So last year I got a ‘yes’ to buy Kitchen Aid’s Ice Cream Attachment, which means I have been making a lot of fun gelato flavors at home (because it is fun and rewarding, but also to prove that this is something I definitely NEEDED). I have made brown bread gelato, strawberry and fennel seed gelato, thyme gelato with roasted plums and halva, pistachio stracciatella gelato, lemon verbena and roasted apricot gelato. I have made a lot of gelatos okay? But fig leaf gelato has to be my favorite.

This gelato encapsulates the smell of fig trees which takes me to the Slovenian coast where I have spent every summer holiday since I was 3 years old (and yet I said I will not share life stories in this newsletter, yikes). There is a big fig tree under the balcony of my parent’s holiday home and when the wind blows in the right direction you can smell its beautiful coconutty aroma in our living room. They keep trying to cut down this magnificent tree and it keeps growing back which makes me incredibly happy because I don’t want the smell of fig leaves marveling in the summer sun to stop.

As I mentioned I use Kitchen Aid’s Ice Cream Attachment to make my gelato, but any ice cream machine should work. Make sure the bowl is frozen enough before you start churning the gelato/ice cream. I have learned that it is best to keep the Kitchen Aid one in the freezer for at least 48 hours.

Ingredients

Ice cream base

10 freshly picked fig leaves
380g + 50g plant milk (I like to use Alpro’s It’s Not Milk, but you can use any full-fat, creamy barista-style plant milk)
220g caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
500g plant-based cream (I like to use Oatly’s Creamy Oat cooking cream, Provamel’s Cuisine Soya cooking cream is also great)
40g corn starch
50g olive oil

Jammy roasted figs

400g fresh figs
40g caster sugar

Method

48 hours before starting the recipe put your ice cream machine attachment into the freezer (if using one).

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (fan setting, also works without). Cut away the stems of 10 fig leaves, wash and dry them. Cover your baking tray with parchment paper, spread out the leaves, and roast them in the oven for 10 minutes until they dry out.

Add 380g of plant milk to a pot and heat until it starts to steam, but doesn’t boil. Take off the heat and add your dried fig leaves, making sure they are submerged in the milk (don’t worry if they crumble). Let them steep for 4 hours.

In the meantime preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (I use a fan setting, but a different setting should work just fine). Wash 400g of figs and cut them into quarters. Add them to a baking dish, sprinkle with 40g of caster sugar and mix well. Bake the figs for 40 minutes, and let them come to room temperature before storing them in the fridge.

After 4 hours strain the milk and squeeze the leaves well to remove any remaining liquid. Add 220g caster sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 500g plant-based cream. Slowly heat the milk, but don’t let it come to a boil. In a small bowl mix 50g of plant milk with 40g of cornstarch to make a slurry. Mix well, making sure that there are no lumps (you can also strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve). Add the slurry to the milk while mixing constantly. The mixture will slowly thicken - keep the stove temperature on medium-low (I keep mine at 5/10 setting on the induction stove). Cook for 5 minutes, take off the heat and mix in the olive oil. Transfer the custard into a container and cover with cling film. Let it come to room temperature before transferring it to the fridge to cool down overnight.

The next day pour the custard into an Ice cream machine/Ice cream maker attachment and churn for 20-25 minutes until the gelato tickens. Transfer the gelato into a freezer-safe dish and layer it with jammy roasted figs (I like to do a layer of gelato, add a couple of dollops of jammy roasted figs, cover the dollops with gelato, repeat the process - look at the picture bellow for reference).

Cover the gelato with a piece of parchment paper and transfer it into the freezer. It should be scoopable in about 6-8 hours.

Enjoy the gelato and we will talk again next Monday!