Fig and Vanilla Gelato

Fig and Vanilla Gelato has been the hit of the season in my home. This recipe is easy to make and offers something a little out-of-the ordinary in a chill treat for the summer.

I had to make something with the bounty of figs I had this summer. Fig and Vanilla Gelato came together easily and impressed the whole family!

This gelato recipe offers a fabulously simple base for you to use to mix in those plump and purple figs. If you’d rather try another mix-in, go for it! The base of this gelato is super-flexible for you to add in anything else you love.

Have you have any figs this season? Our fig tree delivered, and delivered BIG this year! In fact, I think we’ve had more figs on the tree (and on the ground) this year than any other year!

Happily (and finally) my mom was visiting when the figs were around. Normally she’s never in town when the figs are because who wants to visit Phoenix in the summer? This year, we traveled and visited when it was as safe as possible, and that meant a visit to Phoenix in the summer.

When our visit came to an end, my mom left for home with a few bags of frozen figs in her suitcase to enjoy during the winter. While she visited, we made Fig and Vanilla Gelato. Let me just say: get your hands on some figs before they’re gone to make this gelato!

I love to make ice cream. Check out a few of my favorite ice cream recipes, like No Churn Cracker Jack Ice Cream with Chocolate-Covered Peanuts.  If summer fruits are your thing, try my Peach, Lavender and Blackberry Ice Cream. Another tasty ice cream recipe is No Churn Cherry Chocolate Chip Espresso Ice Cream. Ooo! That hits the spot! 

I don’t love adding eggs to my ice cream. I don’t know why, but I think I like taking an easier way when it comes to making ice cream. I did a little searching and I found a few ideas to make Sicilian-style gelato.

When you look for the difference between ice cream and gelato, you’ll find that gelato is made with less fat than ice cream, and it’s a little softer, too. And for Sicilian-style gelato you’ll find cornstarch used instead of eggs. Seemed strange, but I had to try it!

Fig and Vanilla Gelato 

The result is delicious! My Fig and Vanilla Gelato is a great treat for the season. If you don’t like figs (I know, right??) you could use the base of this recipe and add your favorite mix-ins to it instead of figs.

Note that I used an ice cream maker for this version, but I think you could follow one of my no-churn recipes above for the same results.

Do you love figs? Try one of my favorite recipes to use up the season’s bounty, like Grilled Pizza with Fig, Prosciutto, and Blue Cheese. OMG so good! My Fresh Fig Crumble Bars are super-fab, too!  If you have dried figs, you can use them to make your own crackers like these SUPER easy-to-make Fig-Rosemary Crackers. 

Don’t let the summer slide by without grabbing some fresh figs and making Fig and Vanilla Gelato. You’ll love it!

Patricia Conte/Grab a Plate

Yields About 3 pints

Fig and Vanilla Gelato

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5 based on 4 review(s)

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Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cups milk (don’t use skim milk)
• 1 vanilla bean, split and inside scraped
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup fresh figs, diced

Instructions

1. Before starting, be sure your ice cream maker freezer bowl has been in the freezer for the suggested amount of time based on the manufacturer's instructions.
2. In a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of your milk to the cornstarch. Mix until combined and smooth. Set aside.
3. Combine the remaining heavy cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a pan over medium-high heat. You don’t want to boil the mixture, but you want it very hot.
4. Add the sugar and salt to the mixture and whisk until dissolved.
5. Remove the pan from the heat for a moment and stir in the cornstarch mixture.
6. Add back to the heat and stir constantly (lower the heat a little if it begins to boil), until the mixture thickens and you can coat the back of a spoon with the mixture.
7. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate it until it’s cold.
8. Add the mixture to your ice cream mixer bowl and churn for about 25-30 minutes.
9. Add the figs to the mixer, a little at a time, about halfway through the process.
10. The gelato will be thick but still soft, so transfer the mix to a bread loaf pan or another freezer-safe container.
11. Freeze for several hours to allow it to firm up.
12. Remove from the freezer and scoop to serve.

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