SO, every year i wait and wait for the luscious fresh fig. out of ALL the fruit in the world, my absolute favorite is the fig. not dried figs, those things are NASTY. it's like comparing a raisin to a grape. they are two totally different things. i had my first fig when i lived in england. i bought a pack of four at tesco and had one when i got home. then i had another one, then another and another until they were all gone and i had to go back to the store to get more. ahhhh, they are just soooo good!last night i went to costco with my kids and right in the middle of the produce section i did a double take. were those figs? why YES, YES THEY ARE! i grabbed a pack and couldn't wait to get home to eat them. i just don't think you realize the sheer amount of happiness that this brings me. sheer glee, i tell you!
there are so many different ways to eat them. thousands really. you can....
eat them on their own
with yogurt
with cottage cheese
with vanilla ice cream
as a sorbet
in salads
with meat
with fish
in a sandwich
oh, i could go on and on and on.
i'll list my two favorite ways of eating figs. in a sorbet and in a salad. here we go:
FIG SORBET
this is the usual recipe that i use for all sorbets, so it's easy peasy.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 pounds fresh figs
1 cup greek yogurt (optional)
put sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat and leave to cool.
cut the stems off the figs and puree them in a blender until smooth.
blend in the sugar syrup and yogurt (if using) and put in an ice cream maker or in a freezer safe container. freeze and enjoy.
the next recipe i got from {THIS BOOK}. i would make this for all my dinner parties in england and it was without a doubt always a success. if you want to try figs for the first time, this is the way to try them. seriously, you will fall. in. LOVE.
the easiest sexiest salad in the world
starter | serves 4I love this salad. Apart from being a great combination, it always seems unbelievably effortless, which is the kind of recipe I like. The constant success of this is due to the common-sense marriage of salty Parma ham, milky buffalo mozzarella* and sweet figs, which obviously need to be of a good quality. The best figs to use are Italian and the best time to buy them is June to August when they are in season. Greek figs are a good second-best and are in season from September to November. The best figs always seem to be those that are about to split their skins. Use green or black figs - it doesn't really matter.
One thing I do is to criss-cross the figs but not quite to the bottom - 1 fig per person is always a good start. Then, using your thumbs and forefingers, squeeze the base of the fig to expose the inside. At this point you'll think, 'Oooh, that looks nice, I think I'm quite clever ...' or at least I do. More importantly, it allows your dressing to get right into the middle of the fig. All these little things really help to make a salad special. Simply place the figs in a dish, weave around 1 slice of Parma ham or prosciutto per fig, throw in some slices of buffalo mozzarella and rip over some green or purple basil. Mix 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, a tablespoon of good honey and some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper together in a bowl and drizzle everything with this dressing. As far as salads go, it's pretty damn sexy.
PS It's a good idea to have some spare bread on the table to mop up the juices - always a treat.
* this recipe has to be made with BUFFALO MOZZARELLA. no other kind will do it justice. i'm not kidding. and if you decide to use some other form of mozzarella, well please don't tell me about it. it will only make me mad.
the absolute best salad in the world.