Tag: figs

Fig Season is Here!

Posted on by Mary

Yummy Fig, Fennel, and Goat Cheese Bars

Fig, Fennel, and Goat Cheese Bars

Just this week, my fig tree delivered its first ripe fruit of the season. Every year it produces more and more figs, and besides giving them away to friends and neighbors, I’m finding new ways to use this special, luscious fruit.
Figs in all stages. So pretty!

Last year I made fig and ginger compote—so yummy on toast—and this year, I continue to throw them on the grill alongside my garden veggies. If you haven’t tried this, please do. The figs caramelize into a gooey softness and they are wonderful in a goat cheese salad, onto crostini, as an accompaniment to grilled pork or chicken, and on top of ice cream. The possibilities are endless so use your imagination. Almost anywhere you would use grilled fruit, such as peaches, you can substitute figs.
In my upcoming book, The Sicilian Sorceress, my main character, Alexis, makes fig bars for her clients so I thought I’d get into her head and create my own version. The result was amazing! I used ingredients popular in ancient Sicily: figs, almonds, goat cheese, Greek yogurt, and fennel. The recipe for Fig, Fennel, and Goat Cheese Bars is in the book so unfortunately, I can’t reveal it just yet. Sorry! It will soon be available within the next two months. Please subscribe to my monthly newsletter at Mary Knight for interesting articles and updates on a publication date. The Sicilian Sorceress has several Sicilian recipes, many I learned while in Sicily. Follow me along as I continue to be inspired by Mediterranean cuisine!
Ciao for now,

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. –Mother Teresa

 

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Figs – Kisses from the Summer Sun

Posted on by Mary
Fig compote over mascarpone for breakfast.

My fig tree not only bestows me with gorgeous summer fruit but presents a nature show all year long. In the fall and winter, it loses its leaves to reveal bare-naked limbs. Small green buds evolve into broad, finger-like leaves while nubs form on its skinny branches in spring. Finally, in early summer, these little fig buttons push out pear shapes whose bottoms balloon and begin turning a musty burgundy. Biting into a fig is like a beautiful kiss. Sweet, soft, juicy, velvety, downright sexy! Perhaps this is why I have such a passion for this fragile fruit that I eat with abandon during its short-lived season.

My fig tree is named Paradiso, after its southern Italian roots. When my dad and dog, Star, died seven years ago, I wanted to plant something to honor them both. The fig, a sign of peace and prosperity, seemed appropriate. My new-found interest in figs coincided with my exploration of southern Italian food, most specifically in Puglia. Green figs with fleshy pink insides were everywhere and luscious.

Voluptuous.

A search in San Diego came up empty for this kind of fig, so I found a man in Boston who grows over 25 varieties of this delicacy. He matched my description to our growing conditions and sent me an Italian Paradiso. The long, narrow box contained a 15” twig, clustered with leaves and a few small figs. My friend, Jenny, and I cleared a space near my orange tree, and with love, gave this new tree a home. The first two years were rough, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to make it, but the third year he decided to stay and grew at least three feet! I have been enjoying the sweet fruit ever since.

Paradiso’s first day in my yard.
My fig tree after seven years.

What do you do with figs besides just eat them off the tree? I made a fig compote with roughly chopped figs, a little sugar, some lemon juice, water, and lots of crystallized ginger. It is tasty on toast or on grilled meat. When you cook a fig, its sugar oozes out, and it becomes almost candied. I serve these alongside grilled chicken or pork. You can also pair raw or grilled figs with ice cream and drizzle a little balsamic on top. Here I made a fig crostada.

Lucious fig crostata.

Last weekend, Chris and I made the ultimate, decadent breakfast inspired by none other than our favorite chef, Jacques Pepin‘s Instagram post. French toast soaked in vanilla ice cream, then pan-fried in butter, served with grilled figs and grilled pineapple. No extra butter or syrup is needed. The bread, Praeger Brothers Country Artisan boule, when cut into thick slices, made bunny shapes! Light and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness and fun to eat. Irresistible! If you haven’t tried this, you must!

Ice cream bunnies ready to be fried in butter.
The best breakfast ever!

Enjoy these beauties while they last and please send me your favorite fig recipes.

“To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean.”
― Elizabeth David, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine

Ciao for now,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Late Summer Watermelon Salad

Posted on by Mary
Mouthwatering collage of color. Perfect for Labor Day

Labor Day’s Swan Song of summer demands a final salute to the ambrosial fruits the season delivered. This recipe is so simple it’s embarrassing but I make it over and over and continue to receive rave reviews. Peach Balsamic Vinegar is its secret ingredient, drawing the flavors out of the watermelon and complimenting the mint. It also brings a sweet and sourness that makes this salad unique. The addition of figs is optional but the two fruits are the perfect union. Each bite is a mouthful of cool, crisp tang that will create a smile!

Late Summer Watermelon Salad

Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium watermelon cut into cubes
  • 1/4 cup barely chopped fresh mint
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Peach Balsamic Vinegar or White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 3-4 figs sliced lengthwise into quarters

Method
 

  1. Place watermelon in a large bowl. Gently stir in mint, then vinegar. Fold in the figs.
  2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Be prepared for no leftovers!

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” 

― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Ciao and Happy Labor Day Holiday!

Mary