From pudding to pastry, festive figs fit with the holidays | Kitchen to Kitchen

Posted

It’s easy to make appetizing holiday treats when you have dried figs. I recently made poached figs in my Instant Pot with orange juice and anise seeds. After poaching, I puréed them into a fig spread, which we’re eating on buttered toast in the mornings. 

Poach Figs to Bake in Pastry

Try poaching them in wine or brandy and then reduce the poaching juices to a syrup. They’ll keep in the fridge, and are ready to wrap whole in pastry and bake. Figs go well on a charcuterie board, or sliced into a winter salad. Fig spreads make wonderful impromptu gifts, or whip up some filled cookies — Sicilian Buccellati is an excellent example.

Bring out the Figgy Pudding 

For Saint Nicholas Day, Dec. 6, I had my family over to fold paper stars; every year we make a different style. 

Before they arrived, I baked a figgy pudding, really it was a figgy cake that I steamed, but we still sang “We Wish you a Merry Christmas.”

So satisfying. 

I used a banana cake recipe, but instead of using bananas, I poured boiling water over dried figs and dates and let them soak for 10 minutes, and then puréed them. This made a sweet purée, so the cake didn’t need added sugar! With the chopped walnuts, figs, and anise seeds, the cake was festive and the house smelled fabulous.  

Tip

Steam baked cakes and quick breads before serving. They taste better, moist, and hot. It’s also an easy way to get a steamed pudding flavor without the trouble. 

Which fig? 

When you buy dried figs, you’ll often have three choices: Black Mission, Calimyrna, and Turkish Smyrna. 

Interestingly, Calimyrna and Smyrna are of the same variety. Calimyrna is a late 19th century California cutting from the centuries old Turkish cultivar named for the city of Smyrna. 

Black Mission Figs have a thin, moist, dark skin, robust fruitiness, and dry interior full of delicate seeds. They are best for slicing and tossing into salads, baking into breads, or eating as is. 

Smyrna (Calimyrna) is larger with a thick beige skin. They’re sweet with subtle notes of vanilla and bourbon. The interior is moist with a poppy seed-like crunch. They’re best for fillings, poaching, jam, and baking. 

Local figs

The figs that grow in our climate are delicious. While they’re not as common as other fruits, I think with interest we could become a fig hotspot. 

I have three baby figs planted in my backyard. 

Two are cultivars from local fig enthusiast Mike Biskup, and the other is a cutting from the giant fig that was removed from the Uptown courtyard when the Food Coop moved. I hear that there are descendants of this tree all over town.  

Japanese-style fig cultivation 

I’m learning that we can train figs to espalier on south-facing walls. They’re productive if kept small and manageable through proper pruning. 

There is a Japanese technique of fig production, they train low cordons, and allow the fruit to ripen on seasonal vertical branches. If we can espalier trees for cider, why not figs? Explore local varieties online at Raintree Nursery or Cloud Mountain Farm Center. 

Find an introduction to Japanese fig growing by searching “How to grow Japanese Figs — fig farm in Japan” on YouTube. 

Anise Orange Fig Spread

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

10 ounces (280g) dried Calimyrna figs

1 cup medium dry sherry 

1 cup orange juice

Zest of one orange

Zest of one lemon 

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon peppercorns

2 teaspoons anise seed

2 pinches of fine sea salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste 

Directions

Cut the stem tips off the figs. In a small saucepan, add the figs, spices, sherry, orange juice, and bay leaf. 

Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and poach for 1 hour. 

Remove figs and strain out the bay leaf and seeds from the poaching liquid. Add orange and lemon zest, salt and lemon juice to the figs and liquid. Purée until smooth. 

(Sidonie Maroon is culinary educator at The Food Co-op; abluedotkitchen.com. Follow Sidonie on The Food Co-op’s Facebook group Cooking with the Co-op. Find more recipes at www.foodcoop.coop/blog/festive-figs.)