A Feast of Figs

I don't know whether it was the unseasonal early rainfall, followed by glorious late summer sunshine, that has produced a bumper crop of figs so early in September. Luscious fruits languish on laden branches, irresistible even to less greedy souls than me and constantly whispering, 'Eat me. Eat me.' I am a lost cause. I eat them by the half dozen, briefly bathed and nude, from the big basket on the Bardies kitchen table. We have so many though, I have to be creative, otherwise the thrill to the tastebuds will be dulled by excess. It is always a joy finding recipes that make just one treasure the centrepiece, so here is my choice for this year.

ANGELA HARTNETT"S FIG TAGLIATELLE

I've just bought Angela Hartnett's lovely new book, 'A Taste of Home' [2011] and was thrilled to find this simple but unusual recipe. I always love the combination of sweet and savoury, a sign of our ever evolving tastes in food. It's always good to challenge culinary convention.

350g dried tagliatelle
100ml olive oil
8 fresh figs, skin on, sliced
150ml double cream
handful of fresh basil, chopped
grated zest of 2 lemons
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and stir. Cook according to the packet instructions, until the pasta is al dente.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil oil in another pan, add the figs and heat through very gently.

Drain the pasta and put it back in the pan. Add the double cream and heat it through gently with the pasta. Add the figs, fresh basil and the lemon zest, season and serve immediately.


FIG AND BLUE CHEESE TART

I love fresh figs with Roquefort almost as much as with goat's cheese, so a savoury tart is a must. I think it would work equally well with either, but I would use a mature, crumbly goat's cheese rather than one that is 'frais'.

200g plain flour, plus a little extra for rolling
100g plain wholemeal flour
150g cold butter, diced into chunks
25g additional cold butter
100g walnuts, roughly chopped
3 eggs, plus 2 yolks
400g shallots, sliced
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves, plus a few stems to decorate
200ml creme fraiche
200ml double cream
140g Roquefort, or other blue cheese
3- 4 figs, halved, cut sides brushed with a little oil

Serves 6- 8

1. First make the pastry. Tip the flours into the food processor with a half tsp salt and the diced butter. Pulse to remove any lumps [but don't overwork], then add in the walnuts. Mix the egg yolks with 2- 3 tbs very cold water, and pour very slowly through the funnel as you continue to pulse. Immediately the pastry has come together, turn it out onto a floured surface and bring it lightly together into a ball. Roll out and line a deep 20- 23 cm tart tin, allowing it to overhang if necessary. Cover and chill for an hour.

2. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 25g butter in a large pan and cook the shallots for 10- 15 minutes until they are soft and caramelised. Stir in the thyme and remove from the heat to infuse. Whisk the eggs in a jug with the creme fraiche and cream. Crumble in the cheese and season with pepper. As Roquefort is very salty, taste to see if you need to add any additional salt.

3. Heat the oven to 180C and bake the pastry blind for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 15- 20 minutes until golden. Add the cooled shallots to the cream mixture and pour into the pastry case. Arrange the fig halves on top cut side up, sprinkle with a few sprigs of fresh thyme and bake on the middle shelf for 45 - 60 minutes until the tart has browned. The tart will have a slight wobble at this stage but don't worry; it will firm with cooling.

4. Cool for 15 minutes [a hot tart doesn't taste of anything, as Tamasin Day-Lewis always says!]. Remove from the tin and serve with a green salad and/ or a tomato and onion salad, dressed with a simple lemon and oil dressing.

NB You can easily cheat with readymade fresh shortcrust pastry but remember to put the walnuts into the cream mixture.


DIANA HENRY'S SMOKED DUCK, FIG AND SPELT SALAD WITH SWEET FIG VINEGAR DRESSING

My October copy of 'Country Living' magazine conveniently plopped through my letter box, so I couldn't resist reproducing this for our current visitors at Bardies.

SWEET FIG VINEGAR

Makes about 75ml [store any left over to deglaze pans or to enhance a winter stew]

8 ripe fresh figs, quartered
50g ready to eat dried figs, roughly chopped
400ml cider vinegar
granulated sugar

1. Put the fresh and dried figs into a large jar and pour in the vinegar. Crush the fruit with a potato masher, then cover and leave for a week, mashing the fruit a bit every few days. The vinegar will turn a fantastic colour.

2. After a week, suspend a jelly bag over a bowl and pour the mixture into it. Leave to drip overnight. Add 225g sugar for every 300ml fruit vinegar and put in a pan.

3. Bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Boil for 5 minutes. Leave to cool, then pour into a sterilised bottle and seal.

SD, F & S SALAD

Serves 6

half an onion, finely chopped
half a stick of celery, finely chopped
half a tbs olive oil
15g butter
50g spelt
100g watercress
1 head red chicory, leaves separated
6 fresh figs, halved
170g smoked duck breast, cut into slices

FOR THE DRESSING
half tbs fig vinegar
quarter tsp Dijon mustard
1 and a half tbs good olive oil
1 and a half tbs walnut or hazlenut oil

1. Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil and butter until soft but not coloured. Add the spelt, stir around in the buttery juices and just cover with water. Simmer over a low heat for about 25 minutes until the spelt is tender and the water has been absorbed.

2. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together with a fork. Mix one third into the warm spelt. Dress the watercress, chicory and figs with the rest of the vinaigrette and divide between six plates. Add one tablespoon of spelt to each plate and top with the slices of smoked duck breast. Serve immediately.

FIG AND WALNUT CROSTATA

Another gem from Angela Hartnett. She makes home cooking feel like restaurant fare, without the fiddly bits!

FOR THE SWEET PASTRY

330g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
pinch salt
100g icing sugar
200g cold butter, diced
3 eggs

Serves 6

Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs [alternatively, you can pulse it in a food processor]. Beat 2 of the eggs, add them to the bowl and mix well to form a dough. but don't overwork. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before using.

Preheat the oven to 180C

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3mm and use it to line a 30cm flan tin. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and return the pastry case to the oven for another 5 minutes. remove and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

Mix the eggs with the treacle, syrup and vanilla in a bowl. Put the figs and walnuts in a separate bowl and mix together.

Spread the figs and walnuts over the bottom of the pastry case, then pour on the egg and treacle mix. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until just cooked. Leave to cook in the tart tin before serving.


FIG AND ALMOND TART

350g all butter puff pastry
1 tbs double cream
1 egg yolk
125g blanched almonds
75g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 unwaxed lemon, zested
6- 8 fresh ripe figs, washed and dried
2 tbs apricot jam

1. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle approx. 34cm x 18cm. Beat the double cream and egg yolk togetherand use to brush the edges of the pastry.Fold the edges of the pastry over to make a 1cm wide border. Brush with more of the glaze and chill the pastry on a baking sheet for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oven to 180C. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 6 minutes or until pale golden. Cool.

Put a baking sheet into the oven.

3. Whizz the toasted almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add the caster sugar, softened butter, egg, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Whizz again until smooth. Spread the almond filling over the bottom of the pastry and chill for 10 minutes.

4. Cut each fig into quarters through the stalk. Arrange the figs cut side up over the almond mixture. Slide the baking sheet onto the hot baking sheet in the oven and cook the tart for about 30- 35 minutes until golden.

Serve with home made vanilla ice cream, or, if you're feeling lazy, creme fraiche.


FIG JAM

A perennial favourite chez nous! Delicious with croissants for breakfast, or on top of vanilla ice cream for dessert.

2 lemons
500mls water
2 vanilla pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2.5cm fresh ginger, peeled
1.5kg sugar
1.5 kg figs

Slice the lemons in half and squeeze out the juice with a squeezer. Put the lemon halves and the juice into a large preserving pan. Add the water, vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks, ginger and sugar. Add the figs and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for at least an hour, stirring from time to time, until the mixture has thickened and become translucent. Remove the lemon halves, vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks and ginger.

Spoon the hot jam into warm, clean jars, cover with wax discs, allow to cool, then cover with lids or cellophane.

Delish!