Recipes and styling by: Jacques Erasmus. Photographs: Myburgh du Plessis. Article from the Food and Home Entertaining Magazine December 2014.
It’s fig season! And what better way to add festive flair to your table than with one (or all) of these fabulously fig-alicious dishes.
Fresh fig carpaccio with honeyed vinegar
Serves 6 EASY 20 mins
The flavour combination
18 fresh figs
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
100g Parmesan, shaved
45ml (3 tbsp) capers, rinsed
125ml (½ cup) honey
175ml white wine vinegar
75ml water
75ml olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish
edible flowers
honeycomb
How to do it
1. Thinly slice the figs and arrange in a circle or fan shape on serving plates. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, Parmesan shavings and capers.
2. Mix together the honey, vinegar, water and olive oil in a bowl and spoon over the carpaccio. Season with pepper and garnish with edible flowers and a thin slice of honeycomb.
Roast loin of pork with fig salsa
Serves 6 EASY 1 hr 30 mins
The flavour combinations
Roasted Pork
900g – 1kg whole pork loin
15ml (1 tbsp) freshly ground black pepper
25ml whole pink peppercorns
30ml – 45ml (2-3 tbsp) sea salt flakes
50g dark brown sugar
30ml (2 tbsp) fennel seeds
100ml olive oil
Fig Salsa
6 figs, quartered
90g red cabbage, finely shredded
50g radishes, sliced
50ml olive oil
50ml maple syrup
juice of ½ lemon
salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) lemon zest
How to do it
1. For the roasted pork, rub the loin with the remaining ingredients and set aside to rest, 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Place the loin in a roasting tray and roast in the oven until just cooked, 40 – 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest, 15 minutes, before cutting into slices.
3. For the fig salsa, combine all the ingredients and toss well. To serve, spoon the salsa into serving bowls and place the sliced pork loin on top.
Pickled figs with potato rösti
Serves 6 EASY 45 mins + overnight, to pickle
The flavour combinations
150g white sugar
150ml white wine vinegar
5ml (1 tsp) salt
150ml water
6 figs, halved
1 pickling onion, finely sliced
5ml (1 tsp) fresh dill fronds, chopped
+ extra, to garnish
1 orange-peel shaving
oil, to fry
knob butter, to fry
3 medium potatoes, peeled
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
300g smoked trout or salmon
1 fennel bulb, shaved
How to do it
1. Place the sugar, vinegar, salt and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the fig halves. Add the pickling onion, dill and orange-peel shaving, cover and refrigerate overnight to pickle.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat with the oil and knob of butter. Grate half a potato, place in a small round in the hot pan and press down lightly to flatten. Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen towel and repeat the process until all the röstis are done.
3. Serve the röstis topped with the smoked trout or salmon, shaved fennel and pickled figs and garnish with dill.
Slow-roasted duck with figs and preserved ginger
Serves 6-8 EASY 2 hrs 30 mins + 4-5 hrs, to soak
The flavour combinations
240g coarse sea salt
220g molasses
4L water
2 whole ducks
225g white sugar
60g white sesame seeds
12 fig leaves, halved (optional)
10 fresh figs
6 artichokes, trimmed and quartered
200g preserved ginger
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How to do it
1. Dissolve the salt and molasses in the water in a bucket, submerge the ducks and allow to soak, 4-5 hours.
2. Melt the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat to make a light caramel. Add the sesame seeds, pour onto greaseproof paper and allow to cool until a brittle forms. Roughly chop and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
3. Stuff the fig leaves inside the cavity of each duck and truss with string. Cook the ducks, covered, 1 hour and 30 minutes. Pour off the excess fat and place the figs and artichokes in the roasting tray. Cook for a further 45 minutes until the figs are soft and the ducks are golden brown.
4. Place the ducks on a serving tray and spoon over the figs, artichokes and ginger. Season to taste. Sprinkle pieces of the sesame brittle over the ducks and serve immediately.
Fresh fig Italian kisses
Serves 6 EASY 1 hr 20 mins
The flavour combinations
18 fresh figs
250ml (1 cup) hazelnut ice cream
(or your favourite flavour)
18 walnuts lightly toasted
400g white chocolate, melted
How to do it
1. Cut the figs halfway down into quarters and open up to make a flower shape. Spoon out a little of the flesh in the centre and place the figs in the freezer to chill, 1 hour.
2. Place a heaped teaspoon of well-frozen , ice cream in each fig and press a walnut into the ice cream. Close the fig and dip into the melted chocolate. Return to the freezer immediately and freeze until needed. Remove from freezer and allow to rest for 4 – 5 minutes before serving.
Cook’s Tip
This is best done one fig at a time, so as to avoid the ice cream melting while preparing.
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