
Figs are special because they are one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits, have a unique structure where their flowers are on the inside. So, figs technically aren't a fruit, but clusters of many, many inverted flowers that bloom inside this large, dark, red-hued bud we know as figs. And this is what makes the fig unique in its jammy texture in addition to a honey sweet flavour.
There are male and female fig trees. Male trees produce caprifigs, which contain pollen and act as brood chambers for the gall wasp (aka fig wasp), while female trees produce the edible figs. The wasp enters the male figs, lays its eggs, dies, and the next generation of wasps exit the fig, continuing the pollination cycle. The figs we eat are the female figs of these plants and do not contain any dead wasps.
Figs are sweet and chewy, and naturally quite high in dietary fiber. They can go sweet or savory. Use them with honey, caramel in autumnal bakes, with dairy in salads, meat dishes and more. They are fantastic with chocolate and nuts too.
- Pistachio Fig Energy Bites
These nutritious 3-ingredient energy powerballs are the perfect balance between sweet indulgence and a healthy treat that you can enjoy everyday. They are refined-sugar free, gluten-free and kid-friendly. Pistachios are bursting with the fiber, protein, healthy fat and antioxidant compounds that can help keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check. The fiber and protein in those nuts can make you feel fuller for longer. Figs contain plenty of fiber, vitamins and minerals and ensure that these bites are filling for a long time.
- Fig Pavlova
Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert usually with whipped cream and fruit. Created in either Australia or New Zealand in honour of the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926.
- Marinated Fig and Mozzarella Salad
Sweet, fruity, peppery and creamy, this beautiful, gluten-free fig caprese-ish salad is great as a main or starter. The tangy marinade works really well with sweet ripe figs, peppery arugula and creamy mozarella. To make this more substantial, add some Prosciutto or Serrano ham and nuts with it.
- Baci Di Fichi Fig Kisses
A simple & delicious seasonal treat that's so easy and straight-forward. Simply dip the fresh figs into melted chocolate and sprinkle with lightly toasted hemp hearts. Use whatever nuts/seeds or chocolate your love or have on hand. Half the figs if they are too big. Make sure the figs are dry before dipping into the chocolate or they won't stick. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Matcha Pistachio Cake with Mascarpone and Figs
This cake is something very special and less guilty as it doesn't contain refined sugar and flavoured with antioxidants-rich matcha. The bright green, Japanese-inspired creation is not just a visual eye-catcher, but also very delicious with its subtle flavour, which contrasts beautifully with the rich mascarpone cream. The fresh sweet figs do the rest to create an unforgettable dessert experience. For the cake batter, I used a mixture of white spelt flour and ground pistachios, but you can replace them with regular wheat flour and the blanched almond flour. Other seasonal fruit can be used instead of figs.
- Clementine Salad with Figs and Goat Cheese
This wonderfully light, bright and fruity is packed with easy-to-find seasonal produce and loaded with delicious flavours and textures. It makes a perfect appetizer or as a light lunch. The sweetness of the clementine and figs pair perfectly with the bitterness of the arugula and tartness of pomegranate arils. If you don't like goat cheese, tangy and salty blue cheese would be an excellent alternative.
- Fresh Fig Spiced Oat Cookies
These ain't your average oatmeal cookies. They are made with less sugar, perfectly spiced and chewy, and topped with fanned-out fig slices. These are the less guilty delicious treats you'd be proud to take to any potluck. I prefer to bake with spelt flour, but you can definitely use regular plain flour.
- Roasted Pumpkin with Figs and Goat Cheese
An easy, beautiful vegetarian main that can be prepared in an hour - it combines fresh ripe figs and a savoury Asian-inspired spring onion and chilli oil for a delicious and moreish lunch or dinner. I used Hokkaido pumpkin as you don't need to peel off the skin, which is packed with beta-carotene. If you use thick skin pumpkins, you will have to peel them first before roasting.
- Fig Chutney
Sweet, tangy, sticky, and spicy, this versatile and quick condiment is ready in under an hour and made from figs, shallots, garlic, rosemary and spices. Figs are perfect for chutney because they are sweet enough when fully ripened and go wonderfully with sharp star anise and fiery chilli. To give the chutney an even more intense flavour, I also added some dried figs. Enjoy it alongside pâté crackers and your favourite cheese.
- Black Forest Ham wrapped Figs with Gorgonzola Cream
Get your dinner party off to a great start with these baked figs with blue cheese cream. Black Forest ham wrapped sweet ripe figs with salty, earthy gorgonzola cheese are a magical combination and make an elegant appetizer. They are incredibly tasty and not hard to make at all. If you ain't fancy for blue cheese, use soft goat cheese instead. Black Forest ham can be substituted with Prosciutto or Serrano ham.
- Crustless Fig Frangipane Tart
This easy fig tart recipe is crustless. Whip up the almond frangipane, top with fresh figs, and pop into the oven for about 45 minutes. It is pure buttery decadence without refined sugar, naturally gluten-free and deliciously gooey.
- Burrata Salad with Figs and Pomegranate
With fresh figs, pomegrante arils, and an easy white wine vinaigrette, this creamy burrata salad is fresh, delicious, and easy to make. If you can't find burrata, use buffalo mozzarella instead. Add in some toasted or candied nuts and salted Prosciutto for extra crunch and flavour. Served as both an appetizer or side dish with some croutons or crusty bread.
- Baked Feta Salad with Figs
Fig leaves add a great mediterranean flavour to the feta as it bakes. If you can't get hold of any, then simply use a piece of foil to wrap the feta. The combination of briny feta, sweet ripe figs and earthy roasted pinenuts makes this late summer/early autumn salad a winner. For a more substantial meal, toss some cooked quinoa, legumes or grains with greens as the salad base.
- Baked Chicken Thighs with Figs and Red Onions
With shallots, red onions, figs and balsamic vinegar and mustard sauce, this one pan baked chicken thighs taste flavoursome and aromatic. It's fancy enough to serve to guests yet easy enough to make for weeknight dinners. As always, I prefer using bone in skin on chicken thighs/legs, but if you have to use chicken breast, then at least use the one with skin intact. The crispy skin balances nicely with the mellow textures of the cooked figs to make this chicken meal really special and delicious.
- Green Bean Salad with Dried Fig, Feta and Physali
This simple, yet delicious salad combines crunchy green beans, dried fig, feta and physalis with toasted sunflower seeds and a simple shallot vinaigrette for maximum flavour. Toasted sunflower seeds give a nutty crunch to this tasty side dish, but you can use pine nuts, almonds or even walnuts. It will complement any fish or meat, but you can also enjoy it as a light lunch.
- No Knead Fig Bread
Dried figs, cinnamon, turmeric and black tea provide exciting flavours for this no-knead bread. The crust is wonderfully crispy, the crumb moist, chewy and airy.
- Fig Spelt Galette with Goat Cheese
A rustic, freeform pastry made with spelt flour, filled with caramelised red onions, fresh figs, combined with goat cheese and refined with fresh rosemary. For the pastry, I used spelt flour, which goes particularly well with figs thanks to its nutty flavour. However, you can just as easily use regular wheat flour.
Whether as a starter, main course or party snack, the fig spelt galette is sure to be a real eye-catcher on any table. If time is tight, you can of course use ready-made dough from the supermarket for your galette.
- Fig Salad with Arugula and Serrano
This simple and delicious autumn salad is chock-full of lovely ingredients including fresh figs, Serrano ham, toasted pinenuts, and a homemade shallot vinaigrette. Parma and Prosciutto ham are both good substitutes for Serrano, or replace the ham with cheese (freshly grated Parmesan, blue cheese or Feta) if you prefer. To make this more substantial, you could serve some quinoa or sourdough bread with it.
- Beernana Bread with Oats and Figs - Egg, Sugar and Dairy Free
Beernana bread is a banana bread loaf made with beer. Beer adds a unique twist to this banana bread recipe. I used a local pale beer, but any beer would work. You may substitute raisins or dates for the figs if you wish. It's egg free, sugar free and dairy free.
- Gluten Free Fresh Fig and Walnut Cake
This naturally gluten-free, deliciously moist and flavourful cake is made with fresh figs, walnuts and buckwheat flour. The combination of earthy walnuts and sweet ripe figs bring out the best of each other. I have used erythritol sugar to sweetened the batter, but feel free to use caster sugar instead. Besides ground walnuts, you can also use hazelnuts or almonds. It's delicious at the end of a family feast or served for afternoon tea with a simple dust of icing powder or whipped cream, ice cream or Greek yoghurt.
- Fig and Walnut Hot Cross Buns
These popular Easter bakes are made sweet, juicy with dried figs and coconut milk, aromatic with cinnamon and nutmeg, crunchy with walnuts, and sticky with maple syrup. Top these beauties with lashings of butter for a satisfying treat that is perfect with a cuppa. Or you can follow the original recipe and serve them with cinnamon butter.
- Radicchio Arugula Salad with Figs, Walnuts and Fresh Goat Cheese
This simple bittersweet Fall salad with arugula, radicchio, fresh figs and walnuts is a lovely light starter or side dish, and surely will liven up any meal. The honey vinaigrette takes a few minutes to make and very versatile. It delivers lots of wonderful flavour, but won't overpower the salad. The recipe is a great base for other combinations of oil (avocado oil), vinegar (red wine or apple cider vinegar), and syrups (maple or date syrup). You can either use the dressing immediately, or you can make it a couple of days in advance of serving.
- Fig and Prosciutto Puff Pastry Tart
Bring a standard everyday salad to life with this beautifully balanced tart that combines sweet, juicy figs with salty proscuitto on top of flaky golden puff pastry. With figs in season, there's no better time to try this simple recipe. Drizzle with a fig or raspberry balsamic syrup for an explosion of flavours. Use other greens, like baby arugula or watercress instead of lamb's lettuce if you like. It is perfect for a light lunch or as an appetizer of a dinner party.
- Figs and Macadamia Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette
A simple yet luscious salad made with fresh figs, macadamia nuts and tossed with a Parmesan pink peppercorn dressing. The combination of fresh sweet figs and rich creamy macadamia nuts are a match made in heaven. You can swap out figs for plums, pecans for macadamias, and add in some avocado and prosciutto if desired. The recipe is really versatile. I would always go with freshly grated Parmesan as it brightens the flavour of the vinaigrette and adds depth and a great texture to the salad too. Of course you can use pregrated Parmesan, but stay away from the tasteless powdered one.
- Fig and Coconut Tart with Pistachios and Mint
A sugar-free, delicious, and fruity dessert recipe from Lorraine Pascale via BBC Food - perfect for when fresh figs are in season. It's so easy to prepare and shows off those beautiful figs really well. Grapes are a good alternative to figs here, but you can make this tart with pretty much any fruit you like.
- Kale, Fig and Pear Salad with Perga
Loaded with autumny fruits, vitamin-rich kale, and food of the Gods: perga, then dressed with a balsamic blanc vinaigrette, is truly a nutritional powerhouse. If you want to make it vegan, use cashews or other nuts in place of perga.
- Buckwheat Fig Cookies with Chocolate
These cookies feature pseudo-cereal super-seed buckwheat, dried figs and vegan chocolate chips. They are gluten-free, grain-free, refined-sugar free, dairy-free and vegan. The buckwheat flour adds a hint of nuttiness, and it makes these cookies crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. You can use oat flour instead of buckwheat, and dates instead of figs.
- Kaniwa Salad with Roasted Hokkaido and Fig
Kaniwa is, like quinoa, an ancient grain that grows in Peru and Bolivia. It is about half the size of quinoa but otherwise quite similar. It’s an excellent source of protein and amino acids, and exceptionally high in fiber, iron, and calcium and is also gluten-free like quinoa. Enjoy it in salads, soups or as the stuffing. However, one major difference between the two is that kaniwa doesn’t have saponins that gives quinoa a soapy, slightly bitter flavour if not rinsed properly.
- Mache Salad with Lentils and Figs
A hearty meatless salad that combines distinctive, tender mâche leaves, also know as corn salad or lamb's lettuce, sweet ripe fresh figs and mild, hearty lentils, which makes this salad particularly satisfying.
- Fresh Fig Freekeh Chai Bread
Freekeh (green spelt), chai, coconut oil and fresh figs come together in this moist, rustic whole grain quick bread that's easy to make and very delicious. You can make this in a muffin form and top each with a sliced fig or nuts.
- Purple Cabbage Fig Salad with Warm Walnut Vinaigrette
A healthy, crunchy salad that's made with purple cabbage, onions, figs, and oregano and tossed with a warm white balsamic walnut vinaigrette. Purple cabbage has so many wonderful health benefits – it is low in calories and full of heart healthy fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants that protect the brain and memory.
- Belgian Endive Fig Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette
This beautiful salad is easy to prepare, delicious, healthy and it's both an appetizer and a salad. You can serve the endive leaves whole on a plate with the fig wedges or cut the endive into bite-size pieces for a chopped salad effect. Ripe, sweet figs are the perfect match for the mild bitterness of the endive, and the creamy pumpkin dressing made with white balsamic, walnut oil and fresh herbs is so delicious and definitely makes the salad. If fresh figs ain't available, or you just don't like it, use pears instead.
- Brown Rice Pilaf with Dried Figs and Pomegranate
A pilaf or pilau is a Middle Eastern rice dish that is cooked in broth and spices. It may contain a variety of vegetables and meat. This is a delicious recipe for using up leftover roasted chicken or turkey, and works well with seafood too.
- Marinated Fig and Parmesan Salad
Fresh sweet figs marinated in mild tangy balsamic marinade contrast with powerful pungent shaved Parmesan in this elegant salad adapted from Tom Kime via BBC Good Food.
- Stuffed Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese and Pistachios
A stylish seasonal dish made from fresh ripe figs, creamy mild Chavroux, and crunchy pistachios, served with a green pepper grape syrup. You can serve this as an appetizer, a snack or even as a light dessert.
- Raw Energy Bars
Fruity, nutty, naturally sweet, these raw energy bars made from dried prunes, figs, nuts and cocoa powder are a delicious and healthy snack to keep up your energy between meals, or after a workout.
- Fig Parmesan Salad with Balsamic Reduction
This simple yet delicious fig salad incorporates with all wonderful flavours of the saltiness of Parmesan, the sour tang of vibrant red currants and the sweetness of figs and balsamic reduction.
- Cracked Black Pepper Fig Spelt Loaf
A simple fig bread that's bursting with flavours and fruity goodness. Fresh black pepper gives this fig bread an extra kick!
- Walnut Fig Quickbread
This foolproof hearty quickbread is studded with rich, chewy figs and crunchy, earthy walnuts and lightly sweetened with erythritol, best served warm with some whipped ricotta, nut butter or honey. You can sub in olive oil, coconut oil, or butter for the walnut oil. I used white spelt flour, but a combination of whole and white flour would work lovely too. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon treat.
- Baked Eggplant with Figs and Feta
A tasty vegetarian main course: eggplants baked in a mariande with maple syrup, soya sauce and olive oil and are topped with fresh figs, cherry tomatoes and feta. Use smaller eggplants for the recipe, or cut them into thumb-thick slices if using large eggplants.
7 comments:
...Angie, you have an amazing fig collection.
Such gorgeous photos over the years, figs are so decorative! That first photo is so stunning with the green pistachios on those stunning brown plates. We do not have figs in our markets, but my neighbour has a tree and I often watch it jealously from my window LOOOL He has both a fig and a yellow ripe plump pear because his backyard is walled off and the climate there is nice for trees, while my yard is more exposed to the sun and wind and ungodly heat, sadly.
And it is, by the way, 35C here currently again, but it drops below 14C even 12C at night.
Los higos me encantan solos y dentro de cantidad de recetas. Muy ricas todas las que tienes y hay que aprovechar su temporada que es ahora.
Brilliant post! thank you so much!
Amazing recipe list! Beautiful photos!
amazing
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