Sweet Ricotta and Honey Roasted Fig Ice Cream

5 from 1 vote

Sweet Ricotta and Honey Roasted Fig Ice Cream

This is the best ice cream to come out of my kitchen with layers of lusciously sweetened ricotta and deeply caramelized honey figs. The texture is silky and straight-up decedent.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword fig, honey, ice cream, ricotta

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Inactive Time 8

Total Time 8 35

Servings

Calories 459kcal

Ingredients

HONEY ROASTED FIGS

1.5 lbs mission figs about 12
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp dark amber honey such as clover honey
Pinch sea salt

SWEET RICOTTA ICE CREAM

1 cup heavy cream
Pinch sea salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup honey plus more for drizzling
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Roast the Figs

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Wipe the figs with a damp towel. With a paring knife, cut off the stems and halve from top to bottom leaving the base intact. Place the figs upright in a medium-sized skillet.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the honey and salt and drizzle over the figs. Bake until the sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes.

Make the Ice Cream

Bring the cream, sugar, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan and then remove from heat. Add the roasted figs, cover, and infuse for one hour. Strain the figs from the cream and pulse the figs in a blender or food processor until chunky, about 3-5 pulses. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Reserve the fig-infused cream.
Before you make the ice cream, ready your work area. First, partially fill a large bowl with ice and water and then float a 2-liter bowl in the larger one. Set a strainer over the smaller bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until pale and frothy, about 10 seconds. Rewarm the fig-infused cream and then temper the eggs by slowly pouring about 1/3 of the cream into the yolks while constantly whisking as you pour. Add the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook over medium-low heat, constantly stirring with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard registers 180°F degrees.
Strain the custard into bowl over the ice bath and stir until cool. Pour the custard into a blender and puree with the honey, lemon juice, and ricotta until smooth, about a minute. Transfer the mixture to a container, cover, and chill overnight.
Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Turn off the machine and transfer some of the custard to a container. Swirl in some additional honey and fig puree. Repeat with the remaining custard and fig puree. Cover and store in the freezer until ready to serve, at least 8 hours.

Notes

Typically I use 2 cups cream to 1 cup whole milk. Here, I used 2 cups of ricotta because I wanted a more pronounced ricotta flavor. Since the ricotta is whole milk, I swapped the 1 cup of whole milk for heavy cream and used a little more sugar to prevent ice crystals.

Resources: Serious Eats and Americas Test Kitchen.

Nutrition