The seasons are turning again, all is coming alive and green, and a hankering for cold dessert has come along with the sound of crickets filling warmed nights. A jar of fig jam and dark chocolate hidden away in my pantry were just begging to be used and with a surplus of eggs and cream left over from a family brunch, I whisked it all together one night when a new batch of richly flavored ice cream was on my mind. No extra sugar added, this dessert gets all its sweetness from fig and chocolate. Deep ruby jam and rich chunks of chocolate are swirled with this fruit sweetened chocolate cream to make for a truly decadent treat. This ice cream would pair excellently with strong espresso for a fantastic affogoto.

Chocolate Fig Ice Cream

• 2 cups low fat milk

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

• 6 egg yolks

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/4 cup fig jam plus more for swirling into the ice cream

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or baking wafers

• Approximately 1 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, salt, and vanilla. When it feels warm to the touch, add the 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips or wafers along with the fig jam and whisk until melted and combined. While the chocolate cream is mixture continues heating, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. When the cream is steaming and has reached a temperature of 175 degrees, scoop 1/3 cup of the hot chocolate cream and whisk it into the egg yolks (do not skip this step, as pouring all the milk in at once will cause the eggs to curdle with the rapid temperature change). Continuing to whisk, add another 1/3 cup of the hot cream, then a final 1/3 cup. Finally, pour the remainder of the hot chocolate cream mixture into the bowl and whisk until completely combined. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator.

Chill the chocolate cream in the refrigerator overnight or for at least four hours until very cold.

After chilling, churn the custard according to your ice cream machine's directions. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container and add the chopped dark chocolate and a few big spoonfuls of fig jam, swirling with a spoon. For a soft serve consistency, serve immediately. To firm the ice cream, place in a freezer-safe container and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight, then serve.

January still has her chilly ways about her, leaving a trail of warming food cravings behind as each day passes. Ice cream during the wintry season isn’t always wanted when there are cold winds blowing outdoors, but this one is an exception. Chewy rye cookies are baked fresh and crumbled in large chunks into a rich vanilla custard, adding more depth than another cookie would impart, more texture than if vanilla was had alone. Though ice cream is always lovely in balmy weather, I’ll take this one on any frosty evening. The vanilla ice cream custard is enriched with egg yolks whisked with hot cream and milk, lending the silkiest of textures. It then needs to be chilled overnight, making that awaited first scoop after churning the next day even more delicious with anticipation. It holds together better and is less like soft serve if allowed to firm up a bit in the freezer after churning, but I wouldn’t blame you if you stole a spoonful or two right out of the bowl.

Rye Cookie Vanilla Ice Cream

For the cookies:

• 1 1/2 cup dark rye flour

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Add the salt, baking soda, and flour and stir until combined.

On two parchment lined baking sheets, place small spoonfuls of the dough so that there are about twelve cookies in total. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. They should seem slightly underdone, not quite dry on the top; they will continue to cook with residual heat after they’ve been taken out and aiming for a chewy texture is key. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then tear into chunks - you should reserve a few cookies whole for snacking later as the ice cream won’t be able to hold all of the cookie pieces from this batch. Set aside the torn cookie pieces in an airtight container until the ice cream recipe notes to fold them into the custard.

For the ice cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 1/2 cup milk

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla paste

• 6 egg yolks

In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, salt, vanilla and sugar. While the cream is mixture is heating, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. When the cream is steaming and has reached a temperature of 175 degrees, scoop 1/3 cup of the hot milk and slowly whisk it into the egg yolks (do not skip this step, as pouring all the milk in at once will cause the eggs to curdle with the rapid temperature change). Continuing to whisk, add another 1/3 cup of the hot milk, then a final 1/3 cup. Finally, pour the remainder of the hot milk mixture into the bowl and whisk until completely combined. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator overnight.

After chilling, churn the custard according to your ice cream machine's directions. Remove from the ice cream machine and place in a freezer-safe container, then gently fold in the rye cookie pieces. For a soft serve consistency, serve immediately. To firm the ice cream, allow to freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight, then serve.

This recipe happened in a rather unplanned way as I was wanting to experiment with some ice cream on a weeknight. When I opened the pantry cupboards, a large bar of baking chocolate, cocoa, and a bottle of blackstrap molasses caught my eye. I started with adding just a spoonful of the bitter molasses, then another, and a bit more until the chocolate custard heating on the stovetop had just the slightest hint of it. The result was a bittersweet chocolate ice cream with the slightest flavors of molasses, almost undetectable but just enough to add a bit of a unique twist.

If you don’t know that there’s blackstrap molasses hidden away in this bittersweet chocolate ice cream, you might only taste chocolate with a bit of something different about it. Blackstrap molasses, unlike regular molasses, is bitter with smokey undertones and not as sweet. It can quickly overpower a recipe if too much is added, and so just a few spoonfuls are used here to create the slightest interesting flavor. If you use regular molasses, it will likely taste a bit sweeter without as much of a flavor kick as blackstrap.

If molasses is a flavor you dislike, you may leave it out and make a rich bittersweet chocolate ice cream instead. If you decide to keep it in the recipe, feel free to taste along and add the spoonfuls to your preference.

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Bittersweet Chocolate and Blackstrap Molasses Ice Cream

Makes just over 1 1/2 quart

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 1/2 cup milk 

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 150 grams of dark chocolate (preferably 70 percent cocoa solids or greater)

• 3 tablespoons molasses

• 6 egg yolks

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, salt, vanilla and sugar. Add the cocoa powder, chocolate, and molasses and stir until the chocolate is fully melted. While the chocolate cream is mixture is heating, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. When the chocolate cream is steaming and has reached a temperature of 175 degrees, scoop 1/3 cup of the hot custard and whisk it into the egg yolks (do not skip this step, as pouring all the milk in at once will cause the eggs to curdle with the rapid temperature change). Continuing to whisk, add another 1/3 cup of the hot custard, then a final 1/3 cup. Finally, pour the remainder of the hot chocolate custard mixture into the bowl and whisk until completely combined. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator.

Chill the custard in the refrigerator overnight or for at least four hours until very cold. It will become very thick and almost pudding-like.

After chilling, churn the custard according to your ice cream machine's directions. For a soft serve consistency, serve immediately. To firm the ice cream, place in a freezer-safe container and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight, then serve.

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As the days begin to grow ever so slightly shorter and the sun scorched hills in my little town beg for autumn's rainfall, I find myself savoring the tastes of summer as the next season comes gently knocking on her door. Fresh ice cream, cold and creamy and especially appreciated on a hot August day, is one of those tastes. Though helping yourself to a spoonful of ice cream in the cooler months is always a delicious thing, there's nothing quite like having it when the sun is beating down without reserve.

Homemade ice cream takes a bit of extra time as you have to let the custard cool completely for several hours after heating it all together on the stovetop, but it is absolutely worth it. The taste of ice cream from scratch, even this simple ice cream custard that can also serve as a base for adding fruit or chocolate, is simply unlike any store-bought frozen confection. If you've never had homemade ice cream before, you're in for a treat!

I recommend allowing the ice cream to chill in the freezer after being churned overnight or for at least a few hours to help it firm up a bit. This simple ice cream custard recipe is wonderful as is, but also serves as a great base for adding flavors. Peanut butter, chocolate chunks, berries, or bits of leftover brownies or would all make great additions.

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Simple Ice Cream Custard

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 1/2 cup milk

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla paste

• 6 egg yolks

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, salt, vanilla and sugar. While the cream is mixture is heating, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. When the cream is steaming and has reached a temperature of 175 degrees, scoop 1/3 cup of the hot milk and slowly whisk it into the egg yolks (do not skip this step, as pouring all the milk in at once will cause the eggs to curdle with the rapid temperature change). Continuing to whisk, add another 1/3 cup of the hot milk, then a final 1/3 cup. Finally, pour the remainder of the hot milk mixture into the bowl and whisk until completely combined. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator.

Chill the custard in the refrigerator overnight or for at least four hours until very cold.

After chilling, churn the custard according to your ice cream machine's directions. For a soft serve consistency, serve immediately. To firm the ice cream, place in a freezer-safe container and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight, then serve.

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