Grab a basket! It’s time to get feasting on sweet, luscious figs
Written byElaine JohnsonJuly 30, 2015
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Fresh Goat Cheese and Radicchio Salad with Figs
Show off figs’ beauty on a salad platter, and contrast their sweet, delicate flavor with slightly bitter radicchio, caramelized shallots, and syrupy saba (a concentrated syrup made from reduced wine grape juice).
Recipe: Fresh Goat Cheese and Radicchio Salad with Figs
2 of15 Annabelle Breakey
Fig, Hazelnut, and Goat Cheese Salad
When fresh figs are in season, we like to feast on them every way we can, especially in a big green salad like this one with lots of textures and a mix of sweet, toasty, and tangy flavors.
Recipe: Fig, Hazelnut, and Goat Cheese Salad
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3 of15 Scott Peterson
Fig and Prosciutto Plate
One of our favorite ways to serve fresh figs—with salty sweet prosciutto and fresh herbs—is also one of the easiest. Just fan out slices of the meat with some arugula, basil, and mint, and scatter with figs. (A mix of fig colors is especially pretty.) Drizzle with good olive oil, and you’re ready to serve.
Recipe: Fig and Prosciutto Plate
4 of15 Thomas J. Story
Figs in Mosto Cotto (Grape Syrup) with Fresh Ricotta
If you’re up for an adventure, homemade ricotta takes only 45 minutes to prepare, and has a sweet flavor and light texture that you just can’t buy in a tub. Top it with tender, sweet-tart simmered figs, and you have a dessert that’s far more than the sum of its parts.
Recipe: Figs in Mosto Cotto (Grape Syrup) with Fresh Ricotta
5 of15 Annabelle Breakey
Chicken and Roasted Figs
To make this easy recipe, first brown the chicken skin-down in a frying pan on the stove. Add a fresh oregano sauce and plenty of figs, and pop the pan in the oven to finish cooking.
Recipe: Chicken and Roasted Figs
6 of15 Iain Bagwell
Fig Crisps with Buttery Nut Streusel
Figs (we recommend using the Black Mission variety) get a flavor boost from a wine-grape syrup.
Recipe:Fig Crisps with Buttery Nut Streusel
7 of15 Annabelle Breakey
Chocolate and Sea Salt Fig Lollipops
Just 4 ingredients, some skewers, and a little chilling time are all you need to create these gorgeous and decadent fresh fruit pops.
Recipe: Chocolate and Sea Salt Fig Lollipops
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Apple, Fig, and Honey Tart
You’ll need a nonstick 10-in. tart pan; or butter a regular pan and dust with gluten-free baking mix like Cup4Cup (or flour).
Recipe: Apple, Fig, and Honey Tart
9 of15 Tara Donne
Honey Roasted Figs
Lightly caramelized, sweet and tender fresh figs make a fantastic topping for ice cream, and cook in just 20 minutes.
Recipe: Honey Roasted Figs
10 of15 Thomas J. Story
Almond Torte with Grilled Figs
Almond flour gives the crust for this torte a delicious toasted flavor, and it’s gluten-free, if that’s something you’re looking for. Once you make the crust, spoon crème fraîche over slices, add warm figs. and a drizzle of honey.
Recipe: Almond Torte with Grilled Figs
11 of15 Coral von Zumwalt
Campfire-Glazed Peaches and Figs
While a campfire adds a certain rustic charm to the process of cooking a big pot of ripe summer fruit with browned butter and sugar, you can easily make this recipe on a regular stove. It’s a great dessert for a party, as it makes enough for 10 to 12.
Recipe: Campfire-Glazed Peaches and Figs
12 of15 Annabelle Breakey
Honeyed Yogurt Dip with Figs and Anise Wheat Crisps
Healthy dessert or a special brunch dish? We like to serve this easy recipe for both. You make the homemade crisps by seasoning flour tortillas with a little butter and spices.
Recipe: Honeyed Yogurt Dip with Figs adn Anise Wheat Crisps
13 of15 Leo Gong
Caramelized Fig Ice Cream
“Worth going off any diet,” says an online reader. We couldn’t agree more. Cook figs with caramelized sugar and butter until they soften, then fold the works into store-bought ice cream and freeze it until firm enough to scoop.
Recipe: Caramelized Fig Ice Cream
14 of15 Scott Peterson
Fig-Blackberry-Orange Jam
The rich flavors of figs and blackberries were made for each other. If you want to give them a try in jam but don’t want to make a big production out of it, this recipe makes just 3 cups and keeps in the refrigerator. (No processing required.)
Recipe: Fig-Blackberry-Orange Jam
15 of15 Annabelle Breakey
Favorite fig varieties
Once dominated by dried fruit, California’s fig industry, centered in the Central and Coachella Valleys, now sells a number of fresh varieties as well. Each is a little different—so try them all. Fresh figs are perishable; chill, loosely wrapped, up to 3 days.
- Black Mission (pictured). Purple-black skin and vermilion flesh; earthy, floral flavor.
- Brown Turkey. Purple-chocolate exterior; full, fruity flavor.
- Calimyrna. Pale yellow; buttery sweet, nutty flavor.
- Kadota. Light green skin changes to amber as it ripens; delicate flavor.
- Sierra. Another green variety; lightly aromatic with a hint of summer berries.
- Tiger (aka Panache). Green stripes on the outside, red inside; berry flavors.
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