Fig Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried figs
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2.5 cups half-and-half
• 0.5 cup white sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 0.125 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

1. Soak figs in a bowl of water until softened, 3 to 4 hours. Drain figs and chop.
2. Combine chopped figs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in a medium pot over medium heat; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and figs begin to break down, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Cover the pot with a lid; refrigerate.
3. Heat half-and-half in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not boiling, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.
4. Whisk ½ cup sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a large bowl until smooth; whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons hot half-and-half, while continuously whisking, until egg mixture is slightly warmed. Pour egg mixture into remaining half-and-half in the saucepan; return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until custard is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Place saucepan with custard in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally, until chilled, about 30 minutes. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Cover the saucepan; chill custard completely, at least 3 hours.
6. Pour custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Stir fig mixture into ice cream during the last 5 minutes of processing. Transfer fig ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm.