Fig leaf ice cream

Method

1. Wash and dry the fig leaves. If you have a gas hob, use tongs to hold the leaves one at a time over the flame until they dry out and wilt, without letting them catch and burn. If you don’t, put them one at a time in a frying pan over a high heat for 2 minutes until they dry out and curl up. Cool then tear into pieces.
2. Heat the milk, cream, vanilla pod and seeds and fig leaves together in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once it begins to boil, remove from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes to infuse.
3. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale, then strain the infused milk mixture into them through a fine sieve (discard the leaves but wash and dry the vanilla pod to use for flavouring sugar, etc.). Return the mixture to the pan and put over a low heat. Stir constantly, cooking until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain the custard into a bowl and leave to cool, then churn in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.