The Black Mission figs have arrived.

[escondido123]

My husband came home with a box of them yesterday and I've already had a couple plain. Tonight I'm planning to halve them, put into a shallow casserole dish and top with Roquefort, cubed Proscuitto and some chopped walnuts then broil until brown and bubbly. What's your favorite way to use figs?

[timwaltham]

mix up a bit of honey with rose water, then pour over the fresh figs

[escondido123]

Saw the listing and for a split second was excited that figs were around...then realized it was my posting from early summer a year ago....would love a fresh fig right now.

[coll]

Glad to know it's not just me, we can only get them here in NY for about a month in late summer. I do have a teenaged fig tree in a pot but not sure it will ever produce.

I know my sister in San Diego has a Garden of Eden in her back yard, and has sent me Meyer lemons and avocados for Christmas, don't think she has any figs though. Hmmm, maybe I'll send her a little fig tree next Christmas and see what happens.......

[Violatp]

Second. I got all excited before I remembered it's February. And I'm in Chicago. Blurgh.

I've tucked a dab of goat or blue cheese inside and wrapped in thin bacon, then broiled.

But I saw an Anne Burrell (sp?) recipe where, in addition to a bit of cheese, she added a drop of balsamic and a sprinkle of chili flakes. Then I think she used prosciutto to wrap. That is SO on my list for the summer.

[coll]

I usually put some parmesan and black pepper on top of the proscuitto before cooking, then sprinkle with balsamic when serving. It is just as well the figs are not available in the winter, because this is SO much better cooked on the grill in the summer. Just sort of bleh to me in the oven, not that it's inedible!

[Violatp]

My friends in Oakland bought a house with a giant black mission fig tree in the backyard. I got the very last one in December when I visited!

I've never had them on the grill. Gas or charcoal?

[coll]

I have charcoal but never used for figs. They come out very nice but not too burnt on the Weber propane.

[Violatp]

Mmmm. I can't wait.

[coll]

Me too, this is crazy thinking about figs in the dead of winter! It's definitely an obsession.

[valleyfig]

For a delicious dessert, stuff them with ganache chocolate! Or for appetizers, you can stuff with bleu or brie cheese! Wrap them in bacon too! :-)

[sweetpotater]

Halve, top with goat cheese, honey, and black pepper.

[Blythe spirit]

I love to make a simple salad. Just put baby arugula in a bowl, add a teaspoon of maille mustard, olive oil and vinegar - toss till mixed - then add the cut up figs. Prosciutto on the side if the mood strikes.

[Isolda]

Figs rarely last long enough in this house to become ingredients. They're just food, and a perfect food at that. But when I save enough to cook with, I usually put them on a pizza with caramelized onions and goat cheese. You can also use dried mission figs for this.

[ipsedixit]

Lots of good ideas here: http://californiafigs.com/recipes.php

[mamachef]

Eaten as-is, warm from the tree, honeyed earth flavors speckled with light....so delicious, so..sexy.

[Isolda]

Yup.

[HillJ]

Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Caramelized in a pan with a bit of sweet butter, brandy and finish with chunks of blue cheese or ashed goat cheese over dry toast points.

so good!

[coll]

At first, I stick a dot of cheese inside (gorgonzola, feta, jarlsberg, doesn't matter), wrap in a piece of proscuitto and grill til the meat crisps. Then serve drizzled with balsamic and black pepper. When I get tired of that, I make fig tapenade which I can freeze if I end up with too much.

[escondido123]

Never heard of fig tapenade. How do you make it?

[coll]

I probably got this recipe here, although I've embellished it over time:

FIG TAPENADE

1.5 cups fresh figs (and a couple of plums too if you can get locally, that really makes it)

1/4 cup dried apricots

toasted pignolia, to taste

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

Tbsp each: Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice

a dab of dijon

2 Tbsp olive oil

Tbsp capers, maybe some anchovy too?

1.5 Tbsp fresh thyme

garlic (I just use a sprinkle of dried myself) and some salt and pepper

Mix in food processor. Serve on toast points, preferably with some crumbled cheese beneath. Freezes very well.

[biondanonima]

This sounds marvelous - I'm buying figs the next time I go to the store!

[Tom P]

Wow, this sounds great! Can't wait to try it.

[coll]

Me too, I'm ready to make another batch right around now. My freezer stash is long gone. I saw this thread and said to myself, figs already? Then saw it was from last summer, guess I'll have to wait a bit longer. I have a little fig tree, but so far no figs, maybe this year........

[Melanie Wong]

Pintxo with serrano ham and queso de valdeon

Clafoutis

[escondido123]

What is pintxo?

[Melanie Wong]

Pintxo is a Basque-style tapa served on a skewer. I like them because I get tired of canapes served on bread that add up to too much bread and often bread of a quality that I would otherwise not be interested in eating.

[Rella]

I might dip a fig into tahini the way I would dip a madjool date into tahini.

[Rella]

I haven't had any black mission figs for many a year; but I just noticed yesterday that I have two bags of them that I was going to use for something. However, that does not respond to your query.

But, I am wondering how one first cleans the fresh black mission figs.

Thanks.

[escondido123]

Aside from giving them a rinse and cutting off the stem I don't do any cleaning at all; the whole thing is edible. (I find the green figs have a thick skin which can be a little overwhelming.)

[scubadoo97]

Halava stuffed in one would be good too.