ripe figs with ricotta & honey

it is a given

if i were to find myself

naked

roaming the garden of eden

surely i would be

occupied

with

plucking and eating figs

not with

modesty

of.

any.

sort.

figs are good

fresh or dried

plain

&

gilded

for a simple and gorgeous treat

serve these

as an appetizer or dessert

gilded figs

ripe fresh figs

ricotta cheese (fresh if you can get it)

sea salt

honey

toasted walnuts

slice the figs in half, and put a generous scoop of fresh ricotta on top.  drizzle your best honey to just cover the ricotta, sprinkle a few grains of sea salt and top with a walnut half.  serve chilled or room temperature.

**tastes great accompanying a cold glass of prosecco

walnut stuffed figs

we really didn't eat a lot of desserts

when i was a kid

usually

after dinner

a pot of coffee was brewed

and 

bowls of

fresh fruit

and

nuts

were heaved to the table

one particular treat

at holiday time

was

freshly cracked walnuts

stuffed into

dried figs

this year

i gave the treat a little update

by dipping the figs

in 

bittersweet chocolate

a sweet

with 

benefits

walnut stuffed figs

12 dried figs
12 large walnut halves-toasted


warmed honey and flavorful cheese
or
bittersweet chocolate-melted and tempered

using a sharp knife, make a split in the fig without cutting all the way through
like this

push a walnut into the fruit
like so

and close it up

leave as it, 
drizzle with honey and serve with cheese as a savory snack
or
dip in chocolate for a great sweet

cornmeal and fig financiers

recently

i  met

a young man

he asked to meet 

to discuss an idea

an idea

born in sharing

i was early for the meeting

because 

i have yet to shake some of my

uptight corporate mores

he was tardy

only by minutes

delay caused by

a sweet pause

 to pick these gorgeous ripe figs

which he then

gifted to me

we talked for hours

about

our love of

good food

and

how we share it with others

cornmeal and fig financiers

(printable recipe)

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 Tbs honey

2 Tbs buttermilk

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal *

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

5-6 fresh figs-halved

measure the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  whisk to combine. in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and honey. add the eggs one by one, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  quickly beat in vanilla and buttermilk.  on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients, do not over mix.  scoop into small brioche molds, cupcake tins or other vessel. fill to about the halfway mark (perhaps just a tad bit more), and then gently push 1/2 fig on top.  bake at 350 for approximately 15-30 minutes. use the toothpick method to ensure they are baked through.  

*i used a medium coarse cornmeal--but you can use anything from fine to coarse...the texture of your cake will reflect whichever you choose to use.

{to learn more about devin's project

go to realgoodfood.org}

i can't promise he will bring you figs, but he could probably point you in the direction of someone who would!

italian fig cookies

to be honest

this is more of a st. joseph's day treat

than a christmas one

but

truth be told

they are good

any time of year

be warned

this is not a fig newton facsimile

these are spicy and heady and filled with riches

wrapped in a buttery italian pastry

called

pasta frolla

my presentation isn't typical either

they are usually rolled in a tube-shape 

and cut in sections

on a cookie tray

i find them to stay fresh a bit longer

when presented like this

italian fig cookies

cucidati
(printable recipe)

pasta frolla

4 cups flour

2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter--cold and cut into pieces

4 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

using a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt a few times to ensure fully mixed.  drop in the butter and pulse until the butter has incorporated completely turning the mixture into a powder.  add the eggs and vanilla and continue to pulse until the dough forms a ball.  remove and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. 

filling

12 oz dried figs (i use calimyrna)

1/2 cup currants or raisins

zest of 1 orange finely grated

1/3 cup blanched, slivered almonds--toasted

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate--cut into pieces or chips

3 heaping Tablespoons apricot preserves

3 Tbs dark rum

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

light pinch ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

egg beaten with a bit of water for egg wash

powdered sugar glaze or royal icing for decoration

sprinkles for decoration

if the figs are hard and dry, place them in a bowl of hot water to soften, drain and then proceed with recipe.   dice the figs and place in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. stir to fully incorporate. place the entire mixture in the food processor, fitted with steel blade and pulse until you have a paste.  place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

roll the dough out to 1/4" and cut with a small round, plain or scalloped cookie cutter. place just a small bit of fig on top of half the cutouts.  brush a bit of egg wash with a brush on the outer edge of the dough. place a second piece of dough on top and press with tines of fork or toothpick to seal.  brush top with egg wash.  bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. you have to watch to see that they don't burn, you want them just starting to brown on the bottom.

when cool, leave plain or drizzle a bit of powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar and milk to a runny consistency), or royal icing and add a few sprinkles.  

Tuesday Night Supper Club--Roasted Pork and Figs

this is a bit more labor intensive than i usually present

but because i am currently in texas,

and my friend's mom is pulling figs off her tree already

i thought this would be a treat

you can use a pork loin, tenderloin or even pork chops 

Roasted Pork and Figs

(printable recipe)

pork loin or chops

 rind of 1 lemon (pith removed)

2 garlic cloves-peeled

2 sprigs fresh thyme

kosher salt

black pepper

fig balsamic vinegar (or just balsamic if you can't find fig vinegar)

fruity white wine

olive oil

10 or so fresh figs--quartered

(you can also use dried figs that you have re-constituted by soaking in hot water)

in a small food processor, grind together the garlic, thyme and lemon peel, until it becomes a paste.  add salt and pepper, to your taste, and rub on the meat.  place in a shallow pan or a ziploc bag.  pour a bit of the vinegar over (just to lightly coat--a few tablespoons), add a bit of olive oil.  make sure the rub stays on the meat.  Let sit a few hours or overnight.  use a oven safe skillet over medium heat.  brown your meat in a bit of olive oil, but do not let cook through.  when you have browned the meat, add about half of an inch of white wine to the pan.  toss about three-quarters of the figs into the pan. if you have fig vinegar, shake a bit more onto the meat, (if you are using plain balsamic, do not add additional as it will become over powering). place in oven to finish cooking--it should be about 30 minutes. your meat thermometer should read 160. you can take the meat out at about 155 and let it rest for about 15 minutes, it should come up to temperature while resting with the "carry-over" cooking.  i like to baste the meat with the juices periodically to glaze the meat. when you remove the meat from the oven, toss in the remaining figs. you can also toss in a few fresh thyme leaves as well. add additional salt and pepper to taste. i like to reduce the juices over the stove to make a nice glaze, but you can just pour the juices over each serving.

appetizer angst

it is no secret that i absolutely love ina garten

i have blogged about my obsession before

and told anyone who will listen

how i wish to be her friend

and have contemplated taking up bridge just to increase my chances

for a dinner invitation

while i have never actually owned one of her cookbooks

nor

made any of her recipes

i am in awe of her style

particularly her entertaining style

i could never only serve a hearty salad and crusty bread for dinner

with a dessert of chocolate bark

i'm not the sort

but i envy it in her

and every time i have guests for dinner

i try and imitate her unapologetic rule

of

only making 2 items for dinner and then buying the extras

but i never get there

i'm just not the sort

last evening we had guests for dinner

2 couples we have come to know over the years and have become good friends with

and i made a dinner of homemade pasta, chicken saltimboca, 4 veg and dessert

I thought maybe I shouldn't serve appetizers

Ina wouldn't

she would serve nuts or something

so that is where i stood

until about five o'clock

when i began to panic

i couldn't give it up

i had to have some sort of nibble for my guests

and i wanted it to be really simple

to go with my very french aperitif

kir royale

i turned to what i had on hand

and made this a simple yet absolutely delicious

start to our evening

Walnut Stuffed Figs

(printable recipe)

dried figs

toasted walnuts

mascarpone cheese

finely diced bits of well-cooked bacon

stem and split the figs, stuff with toasted walnuts, top with a small dot of mascarpone, and then sprinkle the bits of bacon on top.  These are also lovely with a bit of blue cheese in place of the mascarpone.

The End of a Season

I had such a great time at the Hollywood Bowl last night. We were treated to an evening of the ever charming composer John Williams and the LA Philarmonic. We were lucky enough to be sitting in amazing seats...seats that actually let you see emotion on a musician's face. Let me just say this...The Holllywood Bowl is the single best venue in all of Southern California. My opinion, certainly...but trust me, I am right.

One of the best things about "the bowl" is the picnicking. Picnicking rocks! While there is restaurant service, decent restaurant service at the bowl, I always pack a picnic. It usually gives me an opportunity to plan a really fun meal, and it always challenges me to come up with recipes that can be served cold or room temperature.

I must confess. I love fried chicken. I don't know what all the components of my last meal would be, but I know that fried chicken would be in there. I could eat it day after day and never get sick of it. Get sick, pretty much a guarantee, but not get sick of it.
I make fried chicken. I make pretty good fried chicken. But I gotta say...I prefer to buy it.
Gasp
it's true
Especially if we are talkin' broasted chicken. Is it right for me to insist..no matter what your dietary restrictions, goals, obsessions, peculiarities are...that if you have the chance to have broasted chicken, take it. TAKE IT!
My husband is from Wisconsin, and they have great broasted chicken...but sadly, it is really difficult to find in Los Angeles. So, I settle for fried. Still a good alternative, but it is not the same, lest you be fooled.
...I brought you on this culinary round-about because last night I served fried chicken. Popeyes fried chicken as our main course. Yes, I did..and I am not embarrased about it at all. As a matter of fact, I also served the biscuits. Although, I think I might like KFC's biscuits a little better than Popeyes...but I served them none-the-less and they were popular.
But
if you think I am lazy and taking the easy way out...let me stop you right there. I also put together a nice selection of appetizers, sides and dessert all by myself. I cooked em, packed em, served em and ate em. And they were pretty good. Should I put them on the scoring system I utilized for Sona? What is good for the goose, is good for the gander...so I shall.

Summer is ending and so is the season at the bowl...but picnic season is forever....

0-5 stars

Appetizers

blt devilled eggs 2 stars

to be fair, to myself, i don't really like devilled eggs and didn't eat them. I give the whole concept 2 stars

andouille-red beet-green apple-chevre compote w/apple cider reduction

4 stars

You can use andouille or chorizo for this. Cut 4 sausage links into rounds. Cook in large skillet with a bit of olive oil, just a bit. Cook until nicely browned. Add about 3 Tbs cider vinegar, reduce heat and cook until absorbed. While it is cooking add 1 garlic clove--finely chopped and 1 shallot--finely chopped. When the vinegar is just about absorbed, remove sausage and set aside. Toss about 3/4 cup of apple cider or unfiltered apple juice into the pan and let simmer until it reduces to a nice syrup. Throw the sausage back in and toss to glaze. Remove the sausage again, and set the reduction aside to use as a dressing. Meanwhile, chop 1 granny smith apple and 2 medium (cooked) beets to dice. They should be a bit smaller than the sausage slices, but not too small. Toss with about 2 ounces of crumbled chevre. Once the sausage is cooled, add to the compote and gently toss. You can also layer in a small glass. Drizzle a bit of the reduction on top and enjoy.

prosciutto-marscapone-walnut figs w/balsamic-medjool date glaze

3 1/2 stars

they tasted a lot better than they looked. Might have been a bit too big--if presented as 1/2 a fig, would give a higher rating

Main Course

popeye's fried chicken

absolutely 5 stars

if only for convenience sake

watermelon, feta and mint salad

3 stars

uninspired, but always refreshing

I like to use a small watermelon for this salad. I also like to cut it into brunoise, but that isn't necessary. Just make sure that your watermelon pieces match the size of your feta pieces. This is really a taste and add type of recipe. I used 1/2 watermelon to 4 oz of feta and about 6 mint leaves-chiffonade. I let that sit together, then take drain off some of the watermelon juice. I then make a dressing of rice wine vinegar and olive oil...taste to see what you like, but I like to use 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. I also use a lightly flavored olive oil on this. You can substitute any unflavored oil you like. Mix in the dressing, use a light hand and be careful not to break up the cheese. Chill and serve.

puy lentil salad 3 1/2 stars

i love it, it's my favorite--simple and clean flavors

Take about 3 cups cooked puy lentils...trader joe's sells them already cooked. Plop into a bowl and add 1 carrot-finely chopped, 1/4 red onion-finely chopped, 1 red pepper--finely chopped, microplaned zest of 1 orange, juice of 1/2 orange, salt pepper, oil, vinegar and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of ground cumin. Stir, chill and eat. It is also good warmed as a bed for roasted halibut or any fish for that matter. Or bulk with some butter lettuce and serve with a bit of chicken as a nice salad.

KFC Mashed Potatoes 0 stars

please...my husband loves em. So i picked them up specially for him, but only him

Dessert

fallen chocolate souffle cake w/fresh whipped cream and spice poached pears 4 1/2 stars

4 ingredients never tasted this good. it's ugly but oh so silky and delicious.

homemade caramels

favorite shortbread cookies w/honey almond glaze

okay i am bored with the scoring system...i'm done