A ridiculously easy but mouth-watering pud, this is elegant enough to serve at a supper with friends but it’s just as good devoured with your loved one, head down, wings out, at the kitchen table.
The boozy fruits benefit from a long marinade, so prep them the night before if you can, or even a few days in advance. They’ll keep happily in the fridge. If you want to extend the servings to four or more, just increase the quantities accordingly.
I served this with triangles of exceptionally good malt loaf from one of Suffolk’s best bakers, Will Wooster. I’m sorry to tantalise readers who can’t get their sticky mitts on any, but the gluey shop-bought stuff doesn’t come close. Better to enjoy the boozy figs with a dollop of crème fraîche, instead.
Grilled Figs with Boozy Fruits
Ingredients:
2 large ripe figs
1/2 tspn butter
2-3 tspn runny honey
60-70g dried fruits (I used cranberries, apricots and sultanas)
50ml brandy
Malt loaf and/or crème fraîche, to serve
Method:
Slice any larger dried fruit, such as apricots, then put it in a small pan with the brandy. Bring quickly to a boil, then remove from the heat, put a lid on and allow it to cool. Keep in the fridge until just before you want to eat.
Heat the grill (broiler) to high. Cut a cross in the top of each fig, but don’t slice all the way through. Squeeze gently to open out, place on a lined baking sheet and add a tiny dab of butter and a small drizzle of honey to the centre of each. Grill for two minutes.
Meanwhile, add the remaining honey to the boozy fruits and re-heat gently. Plate up the figs and spoon over the now plumped up dried fruits. Add the malt loaf on the side, if using, along with a quenelle of crème fraîche.
I’m sorry, but I only have one word for this: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh~! (while I’m racing down the street to grab a bunch of fresh figs at the organic grocery store 3 blocks down…) 😀
Thank you, that brought a smile to my face. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Lxxx
We did~! They were as delicious as I imagined them to be before I bolted out the door 😀 They made our dinner table shine along with a bit of a cheese selection, a crusty dark bread and a glass of Tempranillo. And the leftovers made a yumtastic lunch dessert with a blob of yoghurt today. Memorized and filed in my mental “Make this more often” folder~
Excellent! Love your supper combo. Thanks for the feedback. Lx
You have more class than I, what with your “quenelle of crème fraîche”.
Delicious.
Oh dear, am I getting above myself? 😀 Thanks for the kind words, Conor. xx
What a compliment from the guy all class 🙂 !
Naturally you got me with ‘boozy fruits’ – don’t ‘do’ pud, most probably will manage this . . . .
Haha, a woman after my own heart! Highly recommended, but only with properly ripe figs, which I’m guessing you can source better than I can.
Figs are just getting up north here from Italy and Spain, so your timing is perfect. Sounds wonderful with a slice of Soreen malt loaf (we get at our English Store). A must try.
Thanks, Ron, glad you like it. Lx