November 5 - Gettin' Figgy Wit It

National Fig Week, November 1-7

My fig experiences thus far have been limited to Fig Newtons. After doing a bit of research for this blog, I still know relatively little about figs, but you can go here or here for plenty of detailed information.

When I saw Fig Week approaching, I determined that I would cook or bake at least one item featuring figs. Having no notion of how to prepare figs, I turned to my trusty pal, Google. Search terms: how to prepare figs.

The first hit is a 2004 newspaper article from Florida. Not California, which is where 99-100 percent (depends on who you believe) of all commercially harvested figs are grown. Maybe fig-rich Californians already know how to work with figs. I don’t. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.

Anyway, this extremely brief article gets right to the point. Wash the figs, cut off the stems, don’t bother trying to peel the skin. Ok, got it. The remaining hits from my Google search are for fig recipes, fig tree care tips (figs grow on the ficus; something else I didn’t know about figs), and how to prepare various electronic thingys that have nothing at all to do with figs.

Armed with my rudimentary fig preparation knowledge, I head to the kitchen to whip up some yummy figgy goodness.

First, I made an appetizer: Fig and Toasted Almond Brie. What a great appetizer for a holiday party or special occasion. I like to cut the rind off (this is best done when cold) but it can be left on (it is edible, I just don’t like it). Serve with fancy crackers or French bread. I think it is also very pretty. I’m sure dried figs would be just fine if you cannot get fresh ones.

For the main course: Chicken with Figs in Port Wine Sauce. It was good, but I think the recipe needs a bit of tinkering. Also, it didn't look so pretty, so no picture of this one.

On to dessert: Fig Spice Cake. Oh. My. Word. This cake was sooo good. Basically it is a spice cake or carrot cake, but with fresh figs (I bet you could use dried and it would be just great). Buttermilk makes this cake so moist and decadent. Of course, cream cheese frosting makes everything taste great. I think this recipe also came out very prettily.

Allrecipes.com has some fig recipes, or you can check out Internet Archive. There are some vintage cookbooks on the text portion of their website. Here are three featuring fig recipes:

How to Serve Figs in the Home

The Story of Dried Fruits

The Dromedary Cook Book

Oh, one last thing I didn’t know – God hates figs. Here is your proof.