Swoon ... it's hard not to at the first glimpse of the season's figs. If you've never eaten fresh figs, make this the summer to do so. (Sorry, fig newtons.) This fruit somewhat remains an unsung hero – one often has to hunt around the produce area to find them. But both impressive and luxurious, they’re worth seeking out for both sweet and savory recipes.
Fresh fig season starts around mid-May and continues through late fall, with varieties like black mission, brown turkey, calimyrna, kadota and sierras. And while we do our best to source things locally, know that 98 percent of fresh figs come from California, and 100 percent of dried.
The first batch of figs I’ve had the chance to cook with were black missions – figs with a purple and black skin and a deep earthy flavor like a Cabernet. Priests at Mission San Diego first planted figs in 1769, which is how this dark fig earned its name ‘mission.’Figs are one of those ingredients that shine on their own. Pair them with some complimentary ingredients and you’re done. Try these, some of my favorite easy fig recipes:
Warm Figs with Goat
Cheese, Almonds and Honey
Halve figs and lay on a baking sheet. Top each fig half with
a small mound of goat cheese. Press with chopped salted almonds and drizzle
with honey. Bake at 325 degrees for 7-10 minutes until warm and melted.
Fresh Fig Pizza with Mozzarella, Bacon and Rosemary
Pre-bake pizza crust of choice (a thinner crust works well),
until it’s a light golden brown. Mix fig butter or preserves with good quality
balsamic vinegar to create a light sauce. Spread on cooled pizza crust. Layer
with thin slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh fig slices, crumbled bacon and
chopped fresh rosemary. Bake until cheese is melted.
Fresh Fig and Brie
Crostini
Slice a baguette into crostini-size rounds. Brush or spray
with olive oil and toast lightly. Layer with a slice of brie, followed by a
fresh fig half. Add a drop of honey and good quality balsamic vinegar each.
Toast until brie melts and the figs are warm. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
Fig & Goat Cheese
Salad
Toss mixed greens with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette.
Arrange greens on plate and top with goat cheese, sliced figs and toasted
chopped nuts, like pecans or almonds.
Figs Wrapped with
Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Cheese
Cut a cross at the top of each fig to create a nest, and
stuff with a small amount of gorgonzola cheese. Wrap each fig with a slice of
prosciutto. Toast until cheese melts and the edges of the prosciutto become
crispy.
Roasted Figs and
Summer Fruit
Slice figs and other ripe seasonal fruit into quarters.
Stone fruits, like nectarines, peaches, apricots and plums work especially
well. Lightly spray with olive oil and dust with fine sea salt. Roast at 400 degrees
for approx. ten minutes until fruits begin to burst. Serve on top of vanilla or
plain Greek yogurt, vanilla ice cream, or with cheese atop of small bed of
dressed greens.
Salted Chocolate
Covered Figs
Melt high-quality bittersweet chocolate chips (such as
Ghirardelli), in the microwave at 50 percent power for a few minutes, stopping
to check and stir chocolate mixture. Once mixture is smooth, dip whole figs and
other fruits of choice (cherries work well). Once fruit is covered in
chocolate, set on parchment paper covered plate. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Refrigerate fruit until chocolate covering is firm, before serving.
For more fig ideas and recipes visit www.californiafigs.com.
A version of this article first appeared on The Town Dish.
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