Baked Figs

March 21, 2007

I was tootling home from my local market today and driving up to a set of lights to make a left-hand turn when I noticed a wheelchair parked beside the kerb. There was an elderly man standing on the footpath, holding a tree branch and trying to steady himself.

“Wait there,” I called through the open passenger window. “I’ll park round the corner and come back and help you.”

For once I did a fairly impeccable parking manoeuvre and raced back to do my good Samaritan act. I decided to move the wheelchair first so it didn’t get hit by a car. It wouldn’t budge. It was a motorised one and I’m completely ignorant about their workings.

“Is this the brake?” I asked. The old man didn’t seem too interested. He held the tree and waved his walking stick in the air at one of the branches. There was a purposeful look in his eye. Suddenly it dawned on me – he was trying to knock down some of the splendid ripe figs up above. "Aha!" I nodded. Between us we managed to retrieve another several to add to the ones he already had in his pocket.

I helped him get back in this wheelchair and he said “Thank you very much” in a heavy accent. I’d picked he was probably one of the elderly Greek gentlemen living in the area. I’ll bet he was thinking of some sun-drenched village on the other side of the world as he’d struggled to harvest a few figs from a large tree on a suburban Melbourne footpath. I hope he’s enjoying his figs – they were certainly fat and juicy and my hands were very sticky by the time we’d raided the one-tree orchard.

Figs are one of the oldest fruit known to man and are mentioned frequently in the Bible. They have a sweet delicious flesh and lend themselves to both sweet and savoury dishes.

Last year archaeologists reported that they had found evidence that ancient people grew fig trees some 11,400 years ago, making the fruit the earliest domesticated crop.

The find dates use of figs some 1000 years before the first evidence that crops such as wheat, barley and legumes were being cultivated in the Middle East. Remains of the ancient fruits were found at Gilgal I, a village site in the Jordan Valley north of ancient Jericho. Gilgal was abandoned more than 11,000 years ago.

Over a period of several centuries, the common fig slowly spread to Syria and the Mediterranean coast. Once figs reached the coast, they rapidly spread throughout the Mediterranean.

Figs were first introduced into the New World by Spanish and Portuguese missionaries.

Fresh and dried figs have long been appreciated for their laxative action.

Figs respond well to roasting and baking. Verjuice is not as tart as lemon and in this recipe adds gentle acidulance to the light syrup. The liqueur is optional but I like a shot of Drambuie.

Baked Figs

8-12 fresh figs
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup verjuice
1/2 cup water
pinch salt
a few bruised cardamom seeds
3 tablespoons liqueur (optional - Grand Marnier, Drambuie, whatever you prefer)

Gently poke a toothpick or skewer into each fig in three or four places. Sprinkle with a little verjuice. Dip each fig in the raw sugar so it adheres on the skin.

Bring the water and verjuice to the boil and dissolve the remaining sugar.  Pour into an ovenproof dish then place the figs in carefully, keeping them upright if possible.

Bake at 180C for about 40 minutes. Drizzle in the liqueur of your choice and refrigerate until required.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, crème fraiche or a dollop of vanilla flavoured whipped cream.

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