Cooking Desserts with Fresh Figs in October
Hot Figgy Stuffed Apples and Honey and Chilled Citrus Nutty Figs
Oct 16, 2008
Oktoberfest showcases bierkeller hospitality in Munich. From early in the morning, food vendors on the streets in Munich Germany, near the star bierkeller attractions, sell fresh figs, dates, walnuts and sweet chestnuts on their stalls.
In keeping with an Oktoberfest spirit, these two recipes use finest fresh figs to present to guests two companion desserts using fresh figs as a chilled dessert or hot dessert in October.
Fresh Figs Stuffed Apples with Honey, Hot Fig Dessert Recipe
Serves four
Ingredients:
- 75 g or 3 oz fresh figs
- 4 large cooking apples
- 2 tablespoons clear runny honey
- 4 tablespoons apple juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
- Chop the fresh figs.
- Cook the figs, honey and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat gently for 20 minutes until starting to blend.
- Peel and core the culinary or cooking apples.
- Score lightly around the middle of each apple and make a clean cut hole for the figgy stuffing.
- Stuff the apples with the stewed figgy stuffing.
- Place the stuffed apples on a baking tray and pour over the apple juice.
- Bake in an oven for 1 hour at a temperature of 180 degree Celsius.
- Serve hot to guests with the companion dessert of chilled citrus nutty figs, the chilled fig dessert recipe below.
Citrus Nutty Stuffed Figs, Chilled Fig Dessert Recipe
Serves four
Ingredients:
- 12 fresh figs
- 6 apricots
- ½ teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, grated orange rind
Directions:
- Cut in each of the twelve fresh figs a star in the top and gently open out the figs.
- Mix the chopped walnuts, ground mixed spice and citrus zest well. If cooks prefer a less nutty or rustic appearance blend the chopped walnuts, zest and ground spice until smooth.
- With a teaspoon, spoon the stuffing gently into each of the figs and press down firmly.
- Chill for at least one hour.
- Serve chilled to guest with the companion hot dessert of fresh figs stuffed apples with honey, the hot fig dessert recipe above.
These two dessert recipes, fresh figs stuffed apples with honey and citrus nutty stuffed figs, offer dinner guest contrasts in the intensity of the flavour of fresh figs in October.
Fresh Figs in October
Fresh figs, in season in October, have a natural sweetness when ripe. The hot dessert amplifies this lushness in three ways with the drizzling of apple juice before baking, the infusion of honey and jackets of baked apples.
Chilled stuffed figs can be scooped out of their skins as a dessert. As a companion dish, the flavour will be subtle, compared to the hot dessert, as chilling dampens the figgy-ness. If guests wish to eat all of their dessert, dinner hosts can report that fig skin is edible and also report a short history of figs from Ancient Greece.
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