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1. Place the figs in a deep bowl and, with the back of a fork or a large spoon, mash them to a somewhat coarse puree. Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and set the figs aside.
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2. In a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan, warm the milk and salt over low heat until bubbles begin to appear around the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep the milk warm.
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3. With a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg yolks and sugar together for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they are thick enough to fall from the whisk or beater in a dissolving ribbon when it is lifted from the bowl. Beating constantly, pour in the warm milk in a slow, thin stream.
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4. Then pour the egg-and-milk mixture back into the saucepan and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook over low heat until the custard thickens enough to coat the spoon like heavy cream. Do not let the custard come near a boil or it will curdle; if it gets too hot, lift the pan off the stove to cool it.
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5. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl and set the bowl into a pot half filled with crushed ice or ice cubes and water. Stir the custard for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it is quite cold and begins to thicken.
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6. Beat thoroughly with a wire whisk to be sure it is perfectly smooth. Remove the bowl from the pot of ice and stir the reserved figs and the vanilla extract into the custard.
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7. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater until they are stiff enough to stand in unwavering peaks on the whisk or beater when it is lifted out of the bowl. In another bowl, but with the same beater, whip the cream until it is stiff and stands in firm peaks.
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8. With a rubber spatula, scoop the egg whites over the cream and fold them together gently but thoroughly. Pour in about one third of the custard-and-fig mixture and continue to fold until all the ingredients are well blended. Then fold in the rest of the custard-fig mixture.
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9. With the spatula, scrape the entire contents of the bowl into a 3-quart decorative mold or two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans. Cover the mold or pans with foil and freeze the ice cream for 1 hour.
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10. With a table fork, scrape the frozen particles from the edges of the container and beat them into the ice cream. Freeze for 1 hour longer, scrape and beat the ice cream again, and return it to the freezer for at least 6 hours, or until it is firm.
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11. To unmold and serve the fig ice cream, dip the mold or pan briefly into hot water. Place a chilled serving plate upside down over the mold and, grasping the plate and mold together firmly, invert them.
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12. Rap the plate on a table and the ice cream should slide out easily. Serve immediately or return to the freezer until ready to serve.
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