If you only want easy recipes
click here but we think there should always be a good mix of KIS KIF keep it simple, keep it fresh and recipes that require a reasonable level of skill to get to the end!
If you don’'t extend yourself you’ll never cook any better than you do today! Ann Oliver
food editor and publisher
read my biog
Whilst some ingredients leave chefs languishing for lack of new ideas the fig remains as popular with chefs and diners as it has ever been. Twenty years ago Adelaide chefs would fight for the few figs on the market place, but their popularity has seen a reinvention of the fig industry in South Australia. If imitation is the highest form of praise Willa Wauchope of Willabrand figs has certainly set the benchmark for quality fresh figs and fig products. What Willa’s high standard has done for the consumer is raise the bar and we are the lucky recipients of improved quality and a large range of varieties. What very few consumers understand is why the best figs remain relatively expensive despite a seasonal glut. Those perfectly ripe figs involve high risks for their producers.
Willabrand figs with their terraced plantings at their historic Glen Ewin property www.willabrand.com
and, yes we also do recipes for Willa!
Trees need to be netted as small birds and parrots are equally fond of the fig, then there is the fine balance between tree ripened and too ripe and of course such a fragile fruit is hand picked. To keep this type of quality in the best condition expensive packaging is required to transport the fruit then one has to take into account that at the most picked tree ripened they have three days shelf life. This of course means that many green grocers are reluctant to take the risk with the better quality fruit. When you see the smaller ripe cheap figs they invariably have surface damage and whilst they might be great for jam or paste, they are often overripe and have a winy taste that is quite unpleasant. It is a flavour that persists through any amount of cooking. The firm cheap figs have no taste at all and no amount of encouragement will develop their flavour or ripen them, but they do make quite good fig paste. A paste, that is all the better when flavoured with ginger and pistachios and some expensive ripe figs. With figs, like raspberries and strawberries you pay for what you get. The market though broadly expanded is still relatively short on high quality fruit and those growers who are dedicated to the perfect end product deserve to be rewarded for their effort.
There are of course favourite dishes. Oven roasted peeled figs stuffed with Gorgonzola and wrapped in pancetta with that divine cream sauce made with their cooking juices, more cheese and cream. So delicious guests will fight over the last fig left in the pan and most will happily forget their cholesterol and happily devour half a loaf of bread mopping the sauce from their plates. Simplest of all, peeled ripe figs, crisp pancetta, finely sliced red onion, crunchy bread croutons, coarse fresh black pepper, Maldon, your favourite extra virgin and good balsamic. Takes minutes to make enough for an entree for eight and gets undeserved accolades. Equally easy last year’s new fig recipe for Oven baked garfish, rolled through flaked almonds with fresh wild fresh and dried fennel and stuffed with ripe fresh figs. Preparation time about 10 minutes, cooking time the same.
Desserts can be as simple as compote with figs and raspberries with a little orange syrup, maybe some fig and raspberry gelati but there was nothing quite like our fig and chocolate mousse cake……until now that is!
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Mille feuille of fig, ginger and pistachio ice cream, pure jersey cream fresh figs, raspberries and pomegranate jelly
Serves 6
fig, ginger and pistachio ice cream
Makes approximately 1400ml
1L cream
80g peeled weight young green ginger
200g caster sugar
50g inverted sugar
10 extra large (61g) egg yolks
100g pistachio meat, dried out in a 150°C oven without colouring them and crushed
100g Willabrand glacé figs, finely sliced
100g glacé ginger, finely sliced
6 Spanish Dessert figs, or other red fleshed very ripe fig, peeled and quartered –— see tip
2L plastic container with a tightly fitting lid
method
Put the cream into a microwave safe bowl and using a Cuisipro or Microplane grater grate the ginger into the cream and stir the juice and grated ginger into the cream. Microwave on high for 12 minutes, stir and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Strain off the ginger pushing hard against it to extract every possible bit of juice. Weight the sugars into the cream and bring it back up to the boil in the microwave. Whisk to ensure the sugars are incorporated and bring back to the boil. Whisking constantly, whisk the boiling cream into the egg yolks. Strain and chill.
Churn the ice cream base, adding the pistachions, glacé figs and ginger and fresh figs to the ice cream once you have put it into the storage container. Press the fruit and pistachions into the ice cream and repeat the process until all of the base has been churned. Keep tightly sealed in the freezer.
for the pomegranate jelly
100g fresh or frozen raspberries
200g caster sugar – some judgement is required because pomegranates vary enormously
300g water
100g approximately fresh strained pomegranate juice, we use a potato press and then strain it
10g Grenadine
12g leaf gelatine (gold)
method
Put the raspberries, sugar and water into a saucepan and place them on high heat. Stirring constantly to lift the sugar from the bottom bring to the boil, simmer at the lowest possible heat for one minute then turn off and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Put a sieve over a jug and tip everything into it and allow it to drip for 15 minutes. Do not press against the fruit or the syrup will go cloudy. Weigh the strained syrup and top to 500g with pomegranate juice. Add the Grenadine and taste for sugar. We like it slightly sour as it makes a good contrast for the richness of the ice cream and the sweetness of the fresh figs. Soften the gelatine in cold water and dissolve in the jelly base. Set in a container that has been oiled with almond oil. A depth of 15mm looks good.
for the pomegranate syrup
50g water
50g sugar
100g strained pomegranate juice
Put everything into a saucepan, bring to the boil stirring and remove the moment the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
for the garnish
250g butter puff pastry rolled to 5mm and rested for 30 minutes in the fridge
200g raspberries
6 ripe figs, peeled and quartered
300ml pure jersey cream
approximately 1 tablespoon icing sugar for dusting.
½ a very rip pomegranate, seeds only
method
Pre heat the oven to 190°C
method
Cut the puff into 6 equal rectangles. 10cm x 5cm is a good shape. Cover a baking sheet with a silicon mat or baking paper and put the puff on to the sheet. Cover the puff with another silicon sheet or baking paper and put a metal tray on top and put it in the oven. This method means that the puff rises evenly and does not topple over. Cook until the puff is risen and coloured. Allow to cool and carefully split into two.
to serve
Put a dab of the cream in the centre of six serving plates and place the bottom half of the puff in position. Divide the figs and raspberries to the side of the puff and then carefully un–mould the jelly, cut it into cubes and scatter on top of the fruit and around the puff. Put two small scoops of the ice cream on the puff and position the top in place. Lightly dust the top of the puff with icing sugar, spoon a tablespoon of the pomegranate syrup over the fruit and drizzle it around the plate, then scatter some pomegranate seeds on the fruit and serve immediately.
tip — The sugar content of the figs you use is important because if they are not ripe and sweet they will freeze rock hard in the ice cream instead having a texture that is icy but sorbet like.
We also make a very flash version of the ice cream, turning it into a terrine between layers of brandy snap drizzled with chocolate and roasted flaked almonds in the Florentine manner. It looks gorgeous cut into slices and served with the same accompaniment.
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