When I had a basket of fresh figs left over from Mothers' Day, I had to think hard on what, and mainly, HOW to use them. Luckily, David Lebovitz has a wonderful way of dealing with them and the result, not surprisingly, was too good to ignore.
Servings: 4
Prep. time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
- 1 pound (450g) fresh figs
- 4-6 branches fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau
- 1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- three 1-inch (3cm) strips of fresh lemon zest
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
2. Slice the touch stem end off the figs and slice each in half lengthwise.
3. Toss the figs in a large baking dish with the thyme, red wine or liquor, brown sugar, honey, and lemon zest. Turn the figs so that they are all cut side down in the baking dish, in a single layer.
4. For figs that are softer and juicier, cover the baking dish snugly with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the figs are softened and cooked through.
For figs that are firmer, with less liquid, roast them in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. When done, remove the baking dish from oven, lift off the foil, and let the figs cool completely.
Variation: For more savory figs, replace the liquor with one or two tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar.
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