The fig is more than a newton cookie. The fig is the most talked about fruit in the Bible yet many people have never taken a bite of a fresh fig. It’s true - the fig can efficiently take the place of fat in baking! Many people believe that it was the fig that tempted Adam and not the apple. I don’t know about that but I do know that figs are ripe and in season so it’s time to start getting to know the fig. 1/2 cup of figs = 1/2 cup of milk when it comes to calcium. You can dry figs and they will keep for months that way but I prefer to make them into compote and freeze them for later use.
This is how fig compote is done.
You take your fresh figs - I get them from a neighbors tree and I get permission to do so - and take off the stem and top of each while I wash them under running water. They are very sugary and sticky to deal with so the running water helps.
I put them into a pot with sugar (a pound to a cup) and slowly cook the figs down on very low heat. This takes about 2 hours. That’s it.
I put some on Brie with toasted pecans and bacon bits for a concert we attended at Chastain Park.
You can also put some on ice cream or homemade angel food cake.
You can wrapped figs in prosciutto after stuffing them with blue cheese for the perfect appetizer. Although considered a fruit, the fig is actually a flower that is inverted into itself. The seeds are the real fruit.
So try a fresh off the tree "flower" and discover the wonderful flavor of a fresh fig - it’s more than just a cookie.
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