Fig ideas?

[Lisa1349]

Store in warmer part of fridge 2-3 days. Highly perishable, no way around it. Consider a moist paper towel over them to keep them hydrated.

A favorite prep of mine: cut in half, sear in pan with some butter, degalze with smidge of port. Add onion and some stock, serve with duck. Add brown sugar instead, serve over gelato.

[menon1971]

Fig preserves with foie gras seems to be popular in France, and darn tasty too.

[roosterchef21]

Generally speaking I don't cook them. Love them fresh. However, a fig & Honey muffin... It ends up tasting remarkably like a fortified wine like sherry or muscat! Nothing like a muffin that tastes like a sticky for brekkie!

[petite tête de chou]

Stuff with preferred cheese, dip in batter and deep fry.

[Lisa1349]

Stuff with preferred cheese, dip in batter and deep fry.

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Great treatment for everything! Or a new way to fire someone...

[amccomb]

Generally speaking I don't cook them. Love them fresh. However, a fig & Honey muffin... It ends up tasting remarkably like a fortified wine like sherry or muscat! Nothing like a muffin that tastes like a sticky for brekkie!

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I have to make these!! Do you have a recipe you can share?

[Pontormo]

...My landlords just gave me about a dozen figs off of the tree in the backyard.  My biggest concern isn't what to do with them, so much as how long they'll last and the best way to store them. 

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...I really would like to know about storage/shelf life of fresh figs!  

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Curlz, I'm surprised you haven't received any responses from someone who has a tree in his/her backyard. Alas, that's not me and I can only speak as someone who's been buying them for a few years.

Figs strike me as extremely fragile when fully ripe and soft; small dots of mold will collect on the skin after days in the refrigerator when they're in this state due to built-up moisture. The best way to avoid that happening is to put a paper towel in the bottom of a shallow bowl that is wide enough to accommodate the figs without crowding. Loosely cover w a produce bag. Same as berries. It's the crowding that can lead to bruises, mold and rot.

Seasonal store-bought figs can last as little as 2-3 days to a little longer than a week. You just never know how long they've been stored, etc.

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Recently discovered In the Sweet Kitchen and a great, quick preparation for figs.

Slice as if in quarters from the stem end without cutting all the way through, then place figs close to one another in a ceramic baking dish, pressing the four lobes of the figs slightly open like a flower in bloom.

Dot each w a little butter, then sprinkle w cinnamon and a tiny bit of cardamom if desired. (RG recommends freshly grated or ground spices--but fine from powder.) Then drizzle w a mixture of orange zest, orange juice and honey [not too dark--I used orange blossom]--not too much--just enough to make a sauce. Bake at around 350 F, I think, basting after 15 minutes and continue until fruit looks roasted and juices reduce and become a little syrupy.

In book, they top marscapone on a sweet polenta pastry. I find they're wonderful cold for breakfast folded into thickened yogurt.

Edited September 13, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[roosterchef21]

Generally speaking I don't cook them. Love them fresh. However, a fig & Honey muffin... It ends up tasting remarkably like a fortified wine like sherry or muscat! Nothing like a muffin that tastes like a sticky for brekkie!

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I have to make these!! Do you have a recipe you can share?

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Sure!

3 cups SR Flour

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Oil

1 Cup Milk

5 Eggs

Mix above together along with honey and figs to taste. Bake at 160 for around 30-35 minutes for large muffins.

Last time I made these I used dried figs which I think were much better.

[Curlz]

Thanks for all of the input, gang! As it turns out, I used the aforementioned plum clafoutis recipe and made a fig clafoutis, which I took with me to a Rosh Hashana dinner. It was definitely tasty, but I made three errors. imo: I didn't let the figs macerate quite as long as they c/should have (in Licor 43-didn't have brandy), and I also used slightly less sugar, because I'm not a sweet freak. HEADSMACK. I didn't think about the fact that fresh figs aren't nearly as sweet as their dried counterparts! What I should have done was caramelize them on the stovetop before pouring the batter over them, but...next time! I still prefer them in a savory prep (i.e., anything involving prosciutto, roasting, honey, cheese or all of the above).

[Kerry Beal]

I bought a flat of figs a few days ago that were absolutely wonderful. I ate a half a dozen as is, made Rachel Perlow's Fig Jam with the rest.

Today I got some nice chevre and picked up another flat of figs. Well these ones just aren't ripe like the last ones.

Which treatments will work best with figs that are a little underripe?