Balsamic Fig Ice Cream + Balsamic Honey Drizzle + Homemade Ice Cream Cones

Figs! Finally! With summer around the corner, figs are here at last.  To me there is no better combo than figs and balsamic vinegar. These two were made for each other.  The sweetness of the figs combined with the tartness of balsamic is gastronomic bliss.  And I was determined to take on homemade cones.  The cones can be finicky, but its worth the trouble and will impress just about any dinner guest.  While I wouldn't call this recipe "healthy," the ice cream is dairy-free and free of refined sugars and the cones are dairy free, made with spelt flour, and refined sugar free.  Plus figs are a good source of fiber and potassium.  So go on and indulge a little!

Balsamic Fig Ice Cream + Homemade Ice Cream Cones

Ingredients:

Ice Cream:

3 cans of coconut milk (for a creamier ice cream refrigerate one of the cans and scoop out just the fat that floats to the top)

1/2 cup honey

1 vanilla bean, scraped

12 oz. fresh figs, chopped

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

pinch of salt

Cones (makes 4-5):

1 egg

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil + a little for the pan

2 tbsp coconut milk (or any type of milk/nut milk)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup spelt flour

pinch of salt

Balsamic Honey Sauce:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup honey

Ice Cream:

Combine coconut milk, honey, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and beat on low to combine.  Pour into ice cream maker and turn on.  While the ice cream churns, put the figs, water, vinegar, and salt in a small sauce pan on medium-low heat, stirring frequently.  Cook until it becomes a chunky paste-about 8 minutes.  When the ice cream is almost done, stir the fig paste into the mixture and then return the mix to the ice cream maker until complete. I added some extra chopped fresh figs to mine because I couldn't resist.

Cones:

Beat together the sugar and egg.  Add in the rest of the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  Whisk in the dry ingredients.  The batter should be pretty runny.  Heat a skillet to medium-medium/low with a very small bit of coconut oil in the pan.  Pour in 1/5 of the batter and tilt the skillet to make a large circle with the batter.  Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook for 3 more.  Remove from heat and quickly shape into a cone.  I put mine into glass milk bottles to help them hold their shape while I cooked the rest (see photos).  To seal up the bottom you can melt dark chocolate and dip the ends of the cone in and then cool them until hardened.  If shaping cones is too daunting, you can make cone bowls by putting the hot cones into muffin tins and pressing into a bowl shape.  If your cones are not crispy enough you can put them in the oven to crisp them up-but they may lose their shape so I would only recommend this if you are doing the muffin-tin method. 

Balsamic Honey Sauce:

Combine honey and vinegar in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Simmer until reduced by one half.  Allow to cool and then drizzle on ice cream, salads, and everything in between. 

Don't wait to get your tickets to The Naked Fig Detox at Brooklyn Grange this summer in NYC!