Fig Gelato

[jbehmoaras]

Recently I attempted to make fig gelato. Unfortunately I wasnt too pleased with what I came up with and i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

The recipe I have for a gelato base called for a 3 : 1 ratio of whole milk to heavy cream and a whole bunch of egg yolks. (14 yolks for 3 cups of milk and 1 cup heavy cream). Then i combined this with a fig puree I made from fresh figs (about 2 parts base to one part puree)

After letting the mixture rest over night, I put it in my ice cream machine. Then i tasted it after letting it set somewhat in the freezer and the taste of the gelato seem to taste like the aftertaste of figs that arent juicy even though i used ripe figs. Another possibility is that I used the wrong kind figs (i used black mission figs in this case). Another idea i have is to saute the figs to slightly carmelize them maybe to bring out their flavors.

So before i invest in another batch I wanted to ask you guys if youve ever made fig gelato; successes and failures as I could surely learn from both, or if anyone has any opions to impart to this newbie gelato maker.

[gingersweetiepie]

while i can't offer a specific recipe, just a couple of thoughts...

1. gelato is traditionally all milk, no cream.

2. 14 yolks is a huge number. even the richest french style ice creams typically use 8-10 yolks per quart of dairy.

the more fat in your base, the more it coats your tongue and dulls the flavor of the actual fruit. so just by tackling 1 and 2, using all milk and reducing yolks, you may have better luck.

finally,

3. figs have a fair amount of water. i'd suggest making the puree and reducing it by half.

good luck on your next try.

[russ parsons]

i had this same experience once, making a fig mascarpone semi-freddo. it was absolutely delicious until i froze it overnight, then it had a bitter flavor, like what i associate with underripe figs. my theory was that it had to do with the ficin enzyme in the fig denaturing the protein in the mascarpone.

[jbehmoaras]

while gelato may traditionally not have cream most good recipies i've tried contain a small amount of cream such as gelato from Ciao Bella in NYC or from Mario Batali's version of gelato.

In any case I do not think that should be too much of a factor since I used little heavy cream compared to the proportion of milk and eggs.

I do agree that this many egg yolks seems like a lot but the recipe did yield about 8 pints.

[Pork Belly]

Try googling "fig gelato recipe"  several recipes come up.  All much different than what you tried.  Hope this helps you.

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When i googled it I only found a couple random recipes none of which seemed too satisfactory.

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I've made fig ice cream from Chez Panisse Desserts. My guests thought it was great even though I don't like fig in ice cream.

[johnnyd]

A friend who runs a bistro offers gelati of many flavors. I was hanging out when a shipment came in and fig was among his order. We all tasted it and realized the recipe involved a preserved fig base and not fresh. The taste lingered quite a while.

[Pontormo]

Since I do not own an ice cream freezer, take the suggestion under advisement. However, I wonder if you might derive a more intense flavor were you to use superior fig preserves or make a stew out of dried figs. Combine one or the other with chopped fruit to streak the gelato with fig.

Second, how good are your figs this early in the season? Might you have better luck in a couple of weeks?

Whatever you do should you try again, please report the results in this thread.

[srhcb]

Figs, like pineapple, kiwi, papaya and guava, (and soap?), contain an enzyme that breaks down protein.

Most recipes used canned figs because the canning process kills off the enzyme.

SB (the same reason these fruits, (and soap), don't make good Jello)

[jbehmoaras]

Interesting, I look that up and try to figure out how to prevent that enzyme from ruining future gelatos

[jbehmoaras]

Is it the temperature or some other process that kill the ficin enzyme in figs?

[Macarons&Mozart]

Enzymes denature when exposed to extreme conditions- like heat or pH. Cooking the figs will most likely denature ficin.

Also, perhaps you might want to add a dash or two of fig liqueur.

[jbehmoaras]

Hopefully I can find some figs and try it out ... will let you all know how it works out

[hll]

I made avery simple and very good fig gelato last weekend.

Peel 2 cups figs and quarter them. Mix 1:1 with water. Add about 1/2 cup sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add juice of 1/2 lemon. Use stick blender to blend in solids. (I add about 1/2 tsp of stabilzer at this point and blend again). Cool for about 4 hours before putting in ice cream machine.

Fresh and figgy.

[Lumas]

I was watching Tyler's Ultimated on the food network today and there was a recipe for Fig Gelato. Sounds good.

[jbehmoaras]

What kind of stabilizer did you use, I cant seem to figure out which is a good one for ice cream let alone a place that sells them for home cooks other than will's website.

I made avery simple and very good fig gelato last weekend. 

Peel 2 cups figs and quarter them.  Mix 1:1 with water.  Add about 1/2 cup sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add juice of 1/2 lemon.  Use stick blender to blend in solids.  (I add about 1/2 tsp of stabilzer at this point and blend again).  Cool for about 4 hours before putting in ice cream machine.

Fresh and figgy.

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[hll]

What kind of stabilizer did you use, I cant seem to figure out which is a good one for ice cream let alone a place that sells them for home cooks other than will's website.

I made avery simple and very good fig gelato last weekend. 

Peel 2 cups figs and quarter them.  Mix 1:1 with water.  Add about 1/2 cup sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add juice of 1/2 lemon.  Use stick blender to blend in solids.  (I add about 1/2 tsp of stabilzer at this point and blend again).  Cool for about 4 hours before putting in ice cream machine.

Fresh and figgy.

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It's called Gelglace" and can be found here http://www.pastrychef.com/Catalog/ice_crea...zer_3617718.htm

Be aware that the container they sell is quite a lot (you only use about 5-10 grams at a time. Friends today tried some and couldn;t believe it didn't have cream in it!