Festive Figs

By Sidonie Maroon, The Food Co-op Culinary Educator, abluedotkitchen.com

Follow Sidonie on The Food Co-op’s Facebook group Cooking with the Co-op

Keep Dried Figs in the Pantry

It’s easy to make appetizing holiday treats when you have dried figs. I recently made poached figs in my Instant Pot with orange juice and anise seeds. After poaching, I pureed them into a fig spread, which we’re eating on buttered toast in the mornings.

Poach Figs to Bake in Pastry

Try poaching them in wine or brandy and then reduce the poaching juices to a syrup. They’ll keep in the fridge, and are ready to wrap whole in pastry and bake. Figs go well on a charcuterie board, or sliced into a winter salad. Fig spreads make wonderful impromptu gifts, or whip up some filled cookies — Sicilian Buccellati is an excellent example.

Bring out the Figgy Pudding

For Saint Nicholas Day, December 6, I had my family over to fold paper stars — every year we make a different style. Before they arrived, I baked a figgy pudding, really it was a figgy cake that I steamed, but we still sang “We Wish you a Merry Christmas”. So satisfying. I used a banana cake recipe, but instead of using bananas, I poured boiling water over dried figs and dates and let them soak for ten minutes, and then pureed them. This made a sweet puree, so the cake didn’t need added sugar! With the chopped walnuts, figs and anise seeds, the cake was festive and the house smelled fabulous.

Tip
Steam baked cakes and quick breads before serving. They taste better, moist and hot. It’s also an easy way to get a steamed pudding flavor without the trouble.

Which Fig?

When you buy dried figs, you’ll often have three choices: Black Mission, Calimyrna, and Turkish Smyrna. Interestingly, Calimyrna and Smyrna are of the same variety. Calimyrna is a late 19th century California cutting from the centuries old Turkish cultivar named for the city of Smyrna.

Black Mission Figs have a thin moist dark skin, robust fruitiness, and dry interior full of delicate seeds. They are best for slicing and tossing into salads, baking into breads or eating as is.

Smyrna (Calimyrna) is larger with a thick beige skin. They’re sweet with subtle notes of vanilla and bourbon. The interior is moist with a poppy seed like crunch. They’re best for fillings, poaching, jam and baking.

Local Figs

The figs that grow in our climate are delicious. While they’re not as common as other fruit, I think with interest we could become a fig hotspot. I have three baby figs planted in my backyard. Two are cultivars from local fig enthusiast Mike Biskup, and the other is a cutting from the giant fig that was removed from the Uptown courtyard when the Food Coop moved. I hear that there are descendants of this tree all over town.

Japanese Style Fig Cultivation

I’m learning that we can train figs to espalier on south-facing walls. They’re productive if kept small and manageable through proper pruning. There is a Japanese technique of fig production, they train low cordons, and allow the fruit to ripen on seasonal vertical branches. If we can espalier trees for cider, why not figs? Explore local varieties online at Raintree Nursery or Cloud Mountain Farm Center. Find an introduction to Japanese fig growing by searching “How to grow Japanese Figs — fig farm in Japan” YouTube.

Anise Orange Fig Spread

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

10 ounces (280g) dried Calimyrna figs

1 cup medium dry sherry

1 cup orange juice

Zest of one orange

Zest of one lemon

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon peppercorns

2 teaspoons anise seed

2 pinches of fine sea salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste

Directions

1) Cut the stem tips off the figs. In a small saucepan, add the figs, spices, sherry, orange juice and bay leaf.

2) Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and poach for 1 hour.

3) Remove figs and strain out the bay leaf and seeds from the poaching liquid. Add orange and lemon zest, salt and lemon juice to the figs and liquid. Puree until smooth.

Poached Figs with Mascarpone

2 cups sweet red wine

1/4 cup honey, or to taste

12 whole dried Calimyrna figs

Water as needed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Generous pinch freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon sea salt salt

1 vanilla bean, slice open lengthwise

1 ⅓ cup mascarpone cheese or whipped cream to serve

Instructions

Combine the wine, honey and figs in a 3- or 4-quart non-reactive saucepan. Add enough water to barely cover the figs. Stir in the cinnamon, pepper, salt and vanilla. Bring to a simmer. Cook partially covered for about 30 minutes or until figs are tender, but not falling apart. If making ahead, cool and refrigerate the fruit in its syrup.

Boil cooking liquid until syrupy (about 8 to 10 minutes). Spoon over the fruit. Place a generous daub of mascarpone or whipped cream next to each serving.

Carrot Orange Anise Fig Bread

Makes a 9- inch round cake-bread

Dry Ingredients

½ cup prewashed quinoa

¼ cup amaranth seed

¼ cup raw chickpeas

¼ cup flax meal

2 tablespoons psyllium seed husk powder

¾ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons anise seed

1 teaspoon monk fruit powder

Additions

½ cup chopped figs

1 tablespoon orange zest

Wet Ingredients

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 ¼ cups carrot puree

½ cup fresh orange juice

Directions

1. Using a Vitamix, grind the dry ingredients, for 1 minute, into a flour and sift into a large mixing bowl. Add chopped figs.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper and grease.

3. Mix wet ingredients together and stir into dry. Smooth into the cake pan.

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn out onto a cake stand or plate. Cool before slicing. Waiting for the bread to cool is important, because it firms as it cools.

Fig Bundt Cake

Dry Ingredients and butter

¾ cup(120g) teff flour

1 cup (180g) potato starch

½ cup(60g) carob flour

½ cup (85g) rapadura sugar

1 ½ teaspoon xanthan gum

2 tablespoons (15g) flax meal

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup (170 g) soft unsalted butter

Spices to grind together

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon whole coriander seed

4 whole cloves

½ teaspoon allspice berries

1 tablespoon toasted anise seed

¼ teaspoon whole black pepper

Wet ingredients

3/4 cup (185g) fig puree

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup (230g) sour cream

2 teaspoons almond extract

Zest of one large orange

Additions

1 cup sliced figs

Instructions

Ready a 10-inch round bundt cake pan with butter and carob dusting getting into all corners

Gather all ingredients together

Grind spices together and sift

Measure out dry ingredients including spices into a food processor, run to combine

Add the butter and mix until butter has coated and thoroughly penetrated the flour

Beat wet ingredients together until light and frothy

Add wet ingredients to the processor and mix to combine for 1 minute.

Mix in sliced figs

Preheat oven to 350F/180C

Pour into bundt tin and let the batter sit for 30 minutes

Bake for 35 minutes.

A toothpick will come out clean inserted into the center

Let cool for 15 minutes and then release from tin and completely cool before eating

Figgy Good: Anise Orange Fig Compote

I was on my way to make figgy bars, but this was so good that I kept the cookies and compote separate.

Make this and be happy, or as happy as you are capable

2 cups dried black mission figs with ends cut off

1 cup orange juice

1 ½ cups sake or white wine

1 teaspoon anise seed

1 cinnamon stick

¼ teaspoon salt

Bring to a boil, turn to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cool. So cool. Add 1 tablespoon brandy,1 teaspoon orange extract, zest of one lemon and juice of one lemon and blend in the food processor. Sweeten to taste--I added 1 tablespoon of cane sugar.