Summer is the ice cream season and yet I didn’t put up any posts. That’s in part because I was busy making some old favorites as flavors and in part because my writing was mostly taking the form of academic writing. Not nearly as fun as ice cream.

Figs are still in season and this is an old favorite of mine. When I lived in California two of my closest friends, a married couple, had neighbors whose fig tree was heavy with fruit. They gave me some delicious figs that I added to a goat cheese base for the most Bay Area flavor imaginable (it’s also reminiscent of an earlier flavor I did, but with a different method). The figs I get here in the Midwest aren’t as great as those were, but every time I have one I think of the Francises and their generosity.

This was the original California version.

Francis Fig and Goat Cheese

(adapted from David Lebovitz)

2 cups cream

2 pounds fresh figs (about 20)

½ cup water

pinch of salt

½ cup sugar

zest of one lemon

4 oz goat cheese

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Remove the hard stems from the figs; slice into pieces in a medium sauce pan with water and lemon zest. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, then add the sugar and cook until the figs have reduced to a soft consistency. Remove and let cool to room temperature.

Puree fig mixture with cream, lemon juice, salt, and goat cheese in a blender or with an immersion blender. Taste to make sure the flavors are balanced. Strain into a bowl, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least two hours before churning.

When ready to churn, whisk the mixture to reincorporate the base. Pour into the ice cream maker and follow the instructions for the ice cream maker. Freeze for eight hours.

The most recent edition!