Fig Sorbet

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated December 7, 2022

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes, plus 4 hours 30 minutes' freezing and refrigeration
Rating
4(43)
Comments
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I love fig ice cream, so I decided to try sorbet, and although I wasn’t crazy about the color, I couldn’t resist the flavor. Make sure to use fully ripe, sweet figs for this. My favorite way to make this is with red wine.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 125 grams (½ cup) water or red wine

  • 75 grams (about ⅓ cup) sugar

  • 1 sprig rose geranium (optional) or ½ teaspoon rose water (optional)

  • 33 grams (about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) corn syrup

  • 20 grams (1 tablespoon) clover honey

  • 60 grams (¼ cup) freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 750 grams (1 pound 10 ounces) ripe figs, stems removed

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

48 grams carbs; 291 calories; 4 grams fiber; 12 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein; 42 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the water or wine and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rose geranium or rose water, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain if you steeped the rose geranium sprig.

  2. Step 2

    Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. You may have to do this in two batches. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

  3. Step 3

    Chill a container in the freezer. Blend the mixture with an immersion blender for 30 seconds, then freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to the chilled container and place in the freezer for 2 hours to pack. Allow to soften in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: This will keep for a couple of weeks in the freezer

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Ratings

4 out of 5
43 user ratings
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Comments

elizabeth rolph

Delicious! Especially for my first homemade sorbet, made with a friend's borrowed ice cream machine.
A few notes: used port wine instead of plain red. Didn't have corn syrup so I used 3/4 plain sugar syrup and 1/4 pomegranate molasses. I did use the rose water, and my figs were plump ripe green figs.
Highly recommend! Thank you Martha!

lena kae

I landed on this recipe when looking for a way to use a huge amount of figs from a 20 foot fig tree in our yard. I used Cab Franc for the wine and added juice from half a lemon. The flavor is better after freezing and I don’t mind the color at all. The end result is tasty, refreshing and interesting. I’ll make it again next year if the squirrels don’t get the figs before I get around to picking them. I might add some blackberries or strawberries.

KarenW

Do you peel the figs before you put them in the blender?

Nordy

I didn’t use rose water and found the flavor a bit boring…a problem resolved by adding some lemon. So if you don’t have rose water, I highly recommend adding some lemon.

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