Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Fresh Figs with Lemon Cream

Oh, joy! Fresh fig "flowers" adorned with a dollop of lemon cream, what could be naturally sweeter? I know, I know, they need NO adornment, being perfectly sweet enough in their own skin, but I couldn't help but gild the lily a bit with the complimentary flavor of lemon. I've heard the flavor of figs described as strawberry crossed with a peach, but it's just more complex than that, maybe add honey or mango to that list. Best to do some extensive taste testing and note making and I'll get back to you...in the meantime let's put together a nosh to gnash on.

Look at those Turkeys! Really, I mean look at those Brown Turkeys in the back there, and the lovely Candy Striped Adriatics all nuzzled up to our one lone Black Mission Figgy right up front. Such a lovely collection of Mild, Sweet, and Extra Sweet (from back to front again). And these are all perfectly ripe which you'll know if they give without feeling mushy when you squeeze.


 First we'll clip the stem completely off. If any white latex exudes from the cut, clip again to get completely past the stem and just slightly into the flesh of the fig.
A quick crisscross cut not quite all the way through and you'll have pretty little flowers. Or crazy little FEED-ME aliens, whichever way you tilt your head to look at them.


Not Perfect. Toss it.






Now for that dollop of lemon cream. Just takes two ingredients:
Lemon Curd and Whipping Cream






I think there is simply no substitute for good old fresh whipped cream and since it takes a whopping 5 minutes to make I try to always have some cream on hand. Thank you Trader Joe's for this perfect tasting Shelf Stable Whipping Cream that stores right in my pantry. Now, having bragged around about that just now, I have to admit that you've got to get it cold for it to whip, so shelf stable or not, toss it in the freezer for 15 minutes (EXACTLY) or fridge for a few hours ahead of time along with bowl and beater, of course.
Unless you're throwing this together at the last minute and then just use some ice water to ready the bowl and beater in a minute or two, dried well. Gotta have icy cold cream so the fat is stable enough to hold the air bubbles you'll be whipping in. (Warm fat is weak fat, people.)

Your cream will whip it together in no time. When it is well thickened, add Lemon Curd a tablespoon at a time and taste. It took about 3 of this brand for the cream to reach Nirvana.
That's it. You're done. Get the dolloping spoon and have at it.


Check out these other delicious ways with figs and keep checking back in each week. All summer long we'll be blogging together with the Food Network to celebrate SummerFest with loads of ideas for your Farmer's Market finds. Stay tuned for Beets next week!




Feed Me Phoebe: Gluten-Free Cheesecake with Fresh Figs and Honey
Jeanette's Healthy Living: Roasted Fig Greek Yogurt Chai Spiced Sorghum Parfait
Devour: A Perfect Pairing of Figs and Pizza Dough
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Fig and Grand Marnier Jam
Red or Green: Roasted Fig, Beet and Orange Salad with Maple Syrup and Jalapeno Vinaigrette
Dishing: Fig Lassi (Fresh Fig Yogurt Smoothie)
Weelicious: Homemade Fig Bars
Virtually Homemade: Fig and Plum Crostata
The Sensitive Epicure: Figs with Goat Cheese, Honey, and Thyme
Domesticate Me: Flatbread with Fresh Figs, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese
Taste With The Eyes: Frozen Fig with Rose, Almond and Rosemary
FN Dish: Go Big with Fleeting Figs

1 comment:

  1. Looks very exotic and delicious! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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