Fresh fig ice-cream

Catherine says: “A little indulgence and a lot of fresh fruit! Homemade ice- cream is so good and you can make it with just a few ingredients and no special equipment. This is less ice- cream and more figs, so it is definitely in the healthy category!”

Makes about 600ml

Ingredients

12 ripe figs, trimmed

160g vanilla sugar (see below)

1 lemon, zest only

200ml double cream, lightly whipped

Figs or blackberries, to serve

Method

1 Place the figs, sugar and lemon zest in a food processor and blend until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Pour into a container and freeze for 2 hours. Then, using an electric beater, whisk the mixture. Repeat this three times, refreezing for 1 hour after each time. Allow to set overnight.

2 Before serving, place in the fridge for 30 minutes to soften. Spoon into glasses and serve with fresh figs or blackberries.

Vanilla sugar

To make your own vanilla sugar, you will need 1 vanilla pod, deseeded (using the seeds for another vanilla recipe) and 500g caster sugar. Place the sugar in an airtight jar, add in the vanilla pod and it will be ready to use in 3 or 4 days. I doubt that you will keep it for long!