Eggless Anjeer (Fig) Ice Cream

Anjeer or Fig Ice Cream has been my childhood favorite and recently, when I relished some home-made anjeer ice cream at a friend's place, I knew I had to try making this at home. She was gracious to share her recipe with me, and it turns out that it is not at all difficult to make this rich and creamy dessert at home! If fresh figs are not available, don't worry; dry figs work fine as well!! So here's a recipe for Anjeer(Fig)Ice Cream that will have you licking the bowl and asking for more!!

Ingredients
2 cups fresh figs (10-12 pieces) the dried figs can be used if you don't find the fresh ones
1 cup whole milk
3 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp honey
1/4 cup sugar (or adjust to taste)
2 eggs (optional - you can use 2 tbsp cornflour and 3 tbsp condensed milk instead of eggs)
2 tbsp sherry (optional)
1 tbsp vanilla essence
chopped nuts - for garnish

Method
Peel the fresh figs and cut them into halves. If you are using dried figs, soak them in water for at least 2-3 hours to allow them to plump up. Now take a saucepan, add the figs and sugar to it and saute the figs for some time till they become swollen and soft. Mash with a spoon or spatula to form small pieces.

Now warm the whole milk a little (DO NOT BOIL, only warm) and set aside. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Beat the eggs, then add in the warm milk and whisk again. Finally add the whipping cream, honey, vanilla essence, sherry and the fig pieces. If you are making the eggless recipe, beat the condensed milk, add in the warm whole milk, cornflour and sugar and add the remaining ingredients as above. Set in a bowl and freeze it for a little more than an hour.

Remove from freezer, then beat it again using an electric beater or a spatula. Whisk until it becomes smooth and creamy, and no ice crust is formed. Now set it to freeze again immediately and leave so for 6-8 hours, or until the ice cream is set. You can also cover the container with a cloth to prevent forming ice crystals on the top of the ice cream.

Remove 2 mins before ready to serve, scoop out the ice cream into individual bowls, garnish with chopped nuts and serve with fresh figs!! This goes well with vanilla cakes too.

Tip: Honey and sherry add a unique flavour to the ice cream, so try not to omit them unless you can't find the ingredients. Also, warming the milk and allowing it to cool to room temperature helps reducing ice crust and makes the ice cream creamier, so don't skip that step!

This eggless anjeer (fig) ice cream is a delight to see and eat! This basic ice cream recipe can be followed to make your own variations by choosing different fruits and nut combinations

Similar Recipes:
Thai Fried Ice Cream
Banana Bread and Cream Cheese Dessert
Peach Melba with Cardamom Ice Cream