Fig Walnut Ice Cream, an Anniversary, and a Request

Ten years have passed since the death of my mother in law. She died too young, and I can't believe it still. Somehow every time we drive to Los Angeles, I picture seeing her, hugging her, enjoying her company. She was a great lover of food, and one great supporter of my creations, and never said no to a cake I would bring to all the family meetings. I miss her terribly, so this ice cream is dedicated to Marilyn, who would have licked the spoon with delight.

My friend Darren is raising money in order to participate at the Leukemia Cup Regatta that is being held in the San Francisco Bay next weekend. This regatta is part of a bigger fund raising effort by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with events throughout the States. Darren has raised 69% of his contribution but unfortunately he is $600 short of the minimum that will allow him to sail on Saturday. Today is the last day he can try to raise the final $600. In this tough economy he relies on the generosity of his friends and relatives, so it would be really sad if he weren't able to participate to this event which means so much to him. I am asking my readers to generously donate any little amount to help my friend honor his mother and her long struggle with Leukemia. So please visit his web page and follow the directions. As someone who lost a loved one to a long struggle with cancer, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, every little amount counts.

I recently tried a sorbet made with figs and walnuts and it was delicious. You could first taste the sweetness of the figs, followed by the slight bitterness of the walnuts. Since I can't eat enough figs, and they are so bountiful and relatively cheap now, I tried this combination in an ice cream version.

A recipe by David Lebovitz was the starting point for this ice cream, to which I added a step in which I steeped some walnuts in the cream for an hour, and omitted the lemon. The resulting ice cream has a wonderful texture, is not too sweet and delicious!

Fig Walnut Ice Cream
3 cups

2 pounds fresh figs, cut in 8th
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup walnut pieces

Cook the figs with the sugar until jam like consistency, set aside to cool. Bring the cream to a boil and steep the walnuts for an hour. Add the cream to the cooled figs and puree until the desired consistency. Chill the ice cream base completely and then freeze it according to your ice cream maker. Enjoy!