Baked Figs
My friend Dana walked into the office overburdened with boxes of perfectly ripe figs that her father grew. Knowing I would gladly take some, she handed me a rather large box then walked back to her desk. At first, I was a bit at a loss for what to make. I hadn't planned on these figs, they just appeared like a newborn left upon a church doorstep in the dark of night. The box sat in my cubicle staring at me all day. I tried to ignore them, but occasionally succumbing to eat a few of the riper ones.
Figs have such a short, intense season that you need to be ready with a game plan to handle the sweet onslaught. I googled 'what to do with too many figs' and came across numerous sites describing the same anguish I was feeling. One gentleman wrote in an aptly named thread called 'Too Many Figs' on Chowhound. "I bought a young fig tree, and three years later she was almost in tears when facing the huge harvest. To keep matrimonial harmony, I cut down the tree."
My favorite go to dish is figs wrapped in prosciutto (or Iberico ham or jambon cru) and kataifi, baked then filled with goat cheese (or homemade labneh) and drizzled with lavender honey that I have made so many times since discovering the recipe in chef Greg Malouf's 'Arabesque'.
Figs wrapped in Kataifi, photo by Francois de Melogue
The Happy Nexus of Salty, Crunchy, Sweet, and Fatty
This dish is the perfect nexus of salty, sweet, crunchy, and fatty that I so adore. I videotaped the entire process offering both a long 20-minute version where I show my wife Lisa how to make this favorite. And a shortened 1-minute version for impatient people like me who just want to get to the good stuff.
Roasted Figs
This is a great party dish because you can prepare everything the day before, then pop it into the oven for ten minutes and serve. Even the finicky eaters will adore it!
1 fig per person
1 slice Iberico ham per person
1 box kataifi (see note)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ ounce goat cheese per person
1 tiny sprig rosemary/thyme per person
black pepper
Cut the tip of the fig off where the stem connects then, using a paring knife, make a cross in the exposed flesh. This will look beautiful and give a great spot to the spoon goat cheese. Wrap a single slice Iberico ham around the base of each fig.
Remove kataifi from packaging, and try your best to straighten it out. Sprinkle a little bit of olive oil over the pasta-like strands, and wrap around the base of the fig leaving some of the ham showing.
Arrange wrapped figs in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with remaining olive oil and pop into a 450 degrees oven, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, and put a spoonful of goat cheese on top then garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a grind or two of black pepper.
NOTES: Kataifi is an extruded dough that has mistakenly been called shredded filo. It can be found in middle eastern markets and certain larger grocery stores. Kataifi is a widely used dough in both the middle east and Greece.
Feel free to substitute any air-dried ham like prosciutto or Bayonne. If your figs aren't very sweet then drizzle a little lavender honey after they are roasted.
This recipe was inspired by one of the world's great unsung chefs, Greg Malouf.
Remember: Sweet, salty, fat and crunch are friends!
Roast Figs, photo by Francois de Melogue