TGIFood

Chilled Tradition: How to turn green fig preserves into ice cream

25 Sep 2024

Green fig preserves and the syrup in which they are stored in jars make for a superb ice cream with a touch of vive la differénce about it.

Preserved green figs in a gingery syrup are the epitome of South African country cuisine, the sweet heart of the platteland, and as much a part of our heritage as biltong, dombolo, pickled fish and that breakfast conundrum of whether to have Marmite or fish paste on your toast.

If you have visitors from abroad and you want to give them a taste of our food culture, don’t just stick them to a braai; I mean, do that, of course, but there’s much more to be shown off to them. And now you can complete that braai with a bowl of green fig preserve ice cream and a few slices of preserved green figs. Buy a bottle of another South African tradition, ginger liqueur, to pair with it.

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I used artificial sweetener for this ice cream, only because I have to watch my diabetic diet (I know, hardly the right job for me, right?). But use sugar by all means.

My usual ice cream recipe calls for only ¼ cup of syrup in the custard, but I decided to add more this time, and the result was a pleasing finish once the ice cream was frozen. Using at least a third or up to half a cup of syrup in the ice cream gives it a lovely creamy quality once it’s been frozen. (Don’t get confused: you’re using green fig preserve syrup from the jar as an ingredient in your own green fig preserve syrup which then goes into the ice cream.)

Do give it plenty of time to freeze, so I suggest making it a day ahead if you’re planning it for the end of a braai or dinner party.

(Makes about 750ml)

Tony’s green fig preserve ice cream

Ingredients

For the fig preserve syrup:

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

½ cup green fig preserve syrup

For the ice cream:

6 egg yolks

½ cup castor sugar or artificial granulated sweetener suitable for baking

¼ cup green fig preserve syrup (this is from the jar, not the syrup you’ll make yourself)

310 ml (a cup and a quarter) full-cream milk

430 ml (a cup and three-quarters) cream

¼ tsp salt

⅓ cup preserved green figs, chopped very finely

Method

For the green fig preserve syrup, combine the water and sugar in a pot, add ½ cup green fig preserve syrup from the jar, and bring it to a gentle boil. Reduce by half, or two-thirds, making sure to have a third to half a cup of syrup once it’s done. Leave it to cool to room temperature.

Beat the egg yolks with ½ cup castor sugar (or artificial granulated sweetener) until creamed and pale. Stir in ¼ cup of syrup from the jar of preserved green figs. Set aside.

Put the cream, milk and salt in a pot on a low heat and simmer while stirring until incorporated. It must not boil.

Slowly pour this dairy mixture into the bowl with the creamed eggs and sugar while stirring continuously.

Transfer this to a saucepan on the stove, on a low heat, and stir or whisk gently until the custard has thickened.

Pour the cooled figgy syrup in a thin stream into the saucepan, very slowly, stirring continuously until it thickens again. Stir the finely chopped green figs into this.

Leave it to cool to room temperature. Pour into a metal container and freeze overnight. Serve garnished with slices of preserved green figs. DM

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido.

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