Fig and Port jam

Long time no see, but I'm back! Hopefully for a long time now. Trying to catch up with latest stuff and I find out that can't read food blogs now, because I'm so jealous! Figs are in season everywhere except New Zealand, but accidentally I haven't posted this recipe in April (when the figs are in season here), so lucky you! This jam has an interesting Port accent which makes it such a great pair to a cheeses or for rich red meats such as duck. Use this jam to make great sauces for roasted duck... delicious! And it's really easy to make.

Ingredients: 
1 kg black mission figs
800 grams sugar
50 ml Port
3 tbsp lemon juice.

Cut the figs into quarters, put in a heavy bottom pan, cover the figs with sugar and leave for a day at room temperature.

Put the pan on the stove and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to minimum and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Process cooled jam in a blender or food processor and pass through a sieve to discard the skin pieces (optionally). 

Return the pan to a heat, add lemon juice and simmer until desired consistency, then add the Port and simmer for another couple of minutes. Pour into sterilized jars.

Enjoy!

Iced honey mascarpone and almond cake with fig salad

This is my new favourite - awesome almond cake with figs - absolute divine.  To be honest I'm not a big fun of mascarpone and also I don't like honey, but in this cake I love them. Try it with a glass of a sherbety, grapey Moscato.
You’ll need to start this recipe at least a day ahead. Recipe adapted from Gourmet Traveller Magazine.

Ingredients:
12       figs, quartered
125 gm       raspberries (optional)
1 tbsp       amaretto
To serve:       honey

Almond dacquoise
200 gm       unblanched almonds
6       eggwhites
110 gm (½ cup)       caster sugar
60 gm       icing sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
50 gm       plain flour

Honey mascarpone
3       egg yolks
110 gm       honey (I used 50 gm honey and 60 gm brown sugar)
750 gm       mascarpone (I used 400 gm mascarpone and 500 ml whipped cream)
60 ml (¼ cup)       amaretto




1     For dacquoise, preheat oven to 150C. Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form, add caster sugar and whisk until thick and glossy. Fold in icing sugar, then almonds and flour and spoon into a piping bag. Trace three 18cm circles onto baking paper-lined oven trays. Pipe dacquoise within template into circles, bake for 15 minutes or until just golden, cool on trays for 5 minutes, then turn onto baking paper sprinkled with icing sugar and cool completely.

2     For mascarpone, combine egg yolks and honey in a heat-proof bowl and whisk over simmering water for 7-8 minutes or until pale and thick. Transfer to an electric mixer and whisk until cold. In a bowl, gently mix amaretto and mascarpone, then fold in egg yolk mixture.

3     To assemble, place a dacquoise circle, trimming edges to fit, into a baking paper-lined 20cm springform pan, spread with one third of mascarpone all the way to the edges and down the sides, then top with another circle. Repeat with remaining mascarpone and dacquoise, finishing with a layer of mascarpone and freeze overnight.

4     Fifteen minutes before serving, remove cake from freezer and place in refrigerator. Combine figs and raspberries in a bowl, drizzle with amaretto and stand for 10 minutes. To serve, remove cake from pan, arrange fig salad on top and drizzle with honey.

Simple & delicious: Figs, goats cheese & honey

Recently, I was really surprised, when I found a few ripe figs in our garden. That's a quite unusual for this time, but what a pleasure to enjoy this simple light salad for lunch!

So, there's no recipe, just a couple figs drizzled with liquid honey and 3-4 tablespoons of fresh goats cheese on top of it. So simple, so good!

I'm desperately waiting for rest of our fig harvest. So many ideas in my head.

Lamb Rack with Orange, Mint & Dried Fig Salad

Orange, Mint & Dried Fig Salad
1⁄3 cup lemon juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 oranges, peeled with sharp knife, removing the pith, and sliced
4 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced (on a mandoline if you have one)
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 Dried Figs, slised
1⁄3 cup pitted black olives
1⁄3 cup firmly packed mint leaves
120g marinated feta, crumbled

For the lamb and to serve
3 lamb racks (8 cutlets in each)
olive oil for rubbing
2 cups firmly packed baby spinach



Orange, Mint & Dried Fig Salad
Combine the lemon juice and oil and season to taste. Arrange the orange slices on each serving plate and top with radishes, onion, dates, olives and mint leaves. Sprinkle with feta and drizzle with the dressing.

For the lamb and to serve
Rub the lamb with oil, season and chargrill or barbecue over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes each side for rare. Rest, loosely covered, in a warm place for 5 minutes. Divide the watercress among the plates alongside the salad, top with sliced lamb and serve the couscous in a bowl on the side. Serves 6.

Crème Brûlée With Kapiti Kikorangi, Figs and Port Wine Caramel

Ingredients
1 cup (250 ml) Port wine
3/4 cup (180 ml) granulated sugar
4 fresh figs, sliced
1/2 cup (125 ml) Kapiti Kikorangi (creamy blue cheese), crumbled
2 cups (500 ml) 35% cream
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 250° F (120° C). In a saucepan, pour the Port wine and 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the granulated sugar. Let simmer 15 to 20 minutes until the consistency becomes syrupy and forms a caramel. Add figs, coating them with the Port wine caramel, and continue cooking for 2 minutes.

In another saucepan, heat the cheese with the cream, until melted and completely mixed, without bringing to a boil (approximately 5 minutes). Strain to ensure the mixture is completely smooth, and set aside in a bowl.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remainder of the granulated sugar. Set aside.

Using the whisk, gradually add the warm cream and cheese mixture to the egg yolk mixture.

Place 8 1/2-cup (125 ml) ramekins in a shallow baking dish. Pour enough boiling water in the dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins, for an effect similar to that of a double boiler. Divide the fig and Port wine caramel mixture between the ramekins. Pour the cream and cheese mixture on top of the fig mixture.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the edges are set and the centres are still slightly soft. Remove the ramekins from the water dish and place them on a rack to cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until cold.

Sprinkle each crème brûlée with a thin layer of sugar. Broil with a chefs torch or in a preheated oven, as close as possible to the heat source, until the sugar melts and forms a golden crust. Serve immediately.

Fig Marmalade - the best thing on your cheese board

I made this marmalade specifically for the accompaniment to cheese, it is perfectly cut into cubes, not particularly sticky and has a not too sweet taste. In general, to my taste is very delicious. I already tried it with blue cheese and Camembert. Don't even know which one is better. 


500 gr. dark figs, cut into 4 pieces
500 gr. sugar
1.5 tbsp agar-agar (attention! see the instructions on the package to your agar-agar, take the amount needed for 500 ml of water),
150 ml. water

Put figs in a sausepan with a thick bottom, cover them with sugar and leave for a day.
Put the saucepan on heat and cook for about 30-40 minutes on low heat.
Allow to cool slightly, then puree it in blender and rub it through a sieve.

In a saucepan heat the water with agar-agar to a boil, stir well to dissolve it, then pour the fig puree and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into the mold and allow to set.

That's how my marmalade looks after setting


It is convenient to use a small containers with a lid, so you can serve marmalade to your cheese board in small portions.
Store in refrigerator.



Enjoy!

P.S. If you know different recipe for same kind of marmalade, please, let me know or give me a link. I'm just crazy about figs :) 

Balsamic pork belly with caramelised figs

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay Magazine

1kg pork belly, skin removed
1 cup (175g) brown sugar
1 cup (250ml) water
½ cup (125ml) balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 black figs, halved
¼ cup (45g) brown sugar, extra
balsamic vinegar, extra, to serve

Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Cut the pork into even-sized pieces, thread onto metal skewers and place in a baking dish.

Combine sugar, water, vinegar and garlic in a bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the pork and cover with aluminium foil. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, increase the heat to 200°C (390°F) and roast, turning occasionally, for a further 1 hour or until caramelised.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Press the figs, cut-side down, into the extra sugar and cook for 1 minute or until caramelised. Serve with the pork and drizzle with extra vinegar to serve. Serves 4.

Ricotta cheesecake with moscato figs

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay Magazine 

350g ricotta
500g cream cheese
1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
6 green figs
½ cup (125ml) moscato

Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F).
Place the ricotta and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 5–6 minutes or until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for 3–4 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.
Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla and lemon rind and beat until well combined.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased 22cm-round tin lined on the base and sides with non-stick baking paper. Place into a deep baking dish and pour in enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the tin. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until firm to touch.

Remove cheesecake from dish and allow to cool in the tin. Place the figs and moscato in a bowl and toss to coat, refrigerate until needed. Remove cheesecake from tin and refrigerate for a least 2 hours.

Spoon over figs to serve. Serves 6–8.



Enjoy!

Marinated figs with brie

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay

6 figs, halved
1 cup mint leaves
1 tablespoon white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and cracked pepper
200g brie or camembert at room temperature
honey and crispy flatbread, to serve

Place figs, mint, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to combine. Top the cheese with fig mixture, drizzel with honey and serve with flatbread.

Whole fig jam

Absolutely delicious jam, especially with good cheese and glass of wine!  

500 g ripe figs (without damage on the surface)
500 g fine sugar
100 ml Armagnac (brandy, rum)
50 ml lemon juice (1 / 3 tsp. Citric acid)

Wash and dry figs on a paper towels.
Make a needle punctures on the surface (about 1 cm distance between the punctures).

Put figs into a bowl (preferably in one layer) and cover with sugar.
Cover and leave for 3 days. Do not stir!

Put figs on the heat, add the brandy and lemon juice.
When the jam starts to boil, immediately reduce heat to a minimum, and cook for 40 minutes (jam must boil, but foam wouldn't formed on the surface).

Remove jam from heat, cover with a towel and leave until the next day. DO NOT STIR!

On the next day bring jam to boil and cook for another 30 minutes on a minimum heat. Cool and pour into clean jars.

Enjoy!

Thanks Carina for this amazing recipe!

Goat cheese and caramelized figs bruschetta

Ingredients for 1 serving:
2 slices baguette,
2 tbsp fresh goat cheese,
1 fig,
olive oil,
1 tsp butter,
1 tsp Dark Muscovado sugar,
1 tsp vodka or whiskey.

Sprinkle pieces of baguette with olive oil and brown them on the grill.

In a small frying pan or a heavy-bottomed skillet melt the butter with sugar, put sliced figs in caramel and fry them for 1 minute on each side. Then pour the alcohol, wait until it all evaporated, remove from heat.

Put crushed cheese and sliced figs on slightly cooled bread .



Enjoy!