Our markets are beginning to burst with summer’s bounty of produce … strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and one of my favorites, fresh figs. This fruit somehow remains an unsung hero—one often has to hunt around the produce area to find them. But both impressive and luxurious, they’re worth seeking out for both sweet and savory recipes.
Fresh fig season starts around mid-May and continues through late fall, with varieties like black mission, brown turkey, calimyrna, kadota and sierras. And while we do our best to source things locally, 98 percent of fresh figs come from California, and 100 percent of dried.
The first batch of figs I’ve had the chance to cook with were black missions—figs with a purple and black skin and a deep earthy flavor like a Cabernet. Priests at Mission San Diego first planted figs in 1769, which is how this dark fig earned its name ‘mission.’
Figs are one of those ingredients that shine on their own. Pair them with some complimentary ingredients and you’re done. Try these, some of my favorite easy fig recipes:
Warm Figs with Goat Cheese, Almonds and Honey
Halve figs and lay on a baking sheet. Top each fig half with a small mound of goat cheese. Press with chopped salted almonds and drizzle with honey. Bake at 325 degrees for 7-10 minutes until warm and melted.
Pizza with Fresh Figs, Mozzarella, Bacon and Rosemary
Pre-bake pizza crust of choice (a thinner crust works well), until it’s a light golden brown. Mix fig butter or preserves with good quality balsamic vinegar to create a light sauce. Spread on cooled pizza crust. Layer with thin slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh fig slices, crumbled bacon and chopped fresh rosemary. Bake until cheese is melted.
Fresh Fig and Brie Crostini
Slice a baguette into crostini-size rounds. Brush or spray with olive oil and toast lightly. Layer with a slice of brie, followed by a fresh fig half. Add a drop of honey and good quality balsamic vinegar each. Toast until brie melts and the figs are warm. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
Fig & Goat Cheese Salad
Toss mixed greens with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette. Arrange greens on plate and top with goat cheese, sliced figs and toasted chopped nuts, like pecans or almonds.
Figs Wrapped with Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Cheese
Cut a cross at the top of each fig to create a nest, and stuff with a small amount of gorgonzola cheese. Wrap each fig with a slice of prosciutto. Toast until cheese melts and the edges of the prosciutto become crispy.
Roasted Figs and Summer Fruit
Slice figs and other ripe seasonal fruit into quarters. Stone fruits, like nectarines, peaches, apricots and plums work especially well. Lightly spray with olive oil and dust with fine sea salt. Roast at 400 degrees for approx. ten minutes until fruits begin to burst. Serve on top of vanilla or plain Greek yogurt, vanilla ice cream, or with cheese atop of small bed of dressed greens.
Salted Chocolate Covered Figs
Melt high-quality bittersweet chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli), in the microwave at 50 percent power for a few minutes, stopping to check and stir chocolate mixture. Once mixture is smooth, dip whole figs and other fruits of choice (cherries work well). Once fruit is covered in chocolate, set on parchment paper covered plate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate fruit until chocolate covering is firm, before serving.
For more fig ideas and recipes visit californiafigs.com.
- Photography: Laura Koster
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