Poached Fresh Figs from Lidia’s Italy, if I’m not mistaken (copied down the recipe a few months back and now I’ve forgotten where I got it)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pound figs (I used Black Mission)
zest of half a lemon, in strips
1 bay leaf, crumbled
Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in saucepan/deep skillet. Set figs in pan, stem up. Add lemon zest strips and bay leaf.
Cook slowly over low heat, about 30 minutes, or until soft. Turn off heat and let figs rest an hour to reabsorb juices. Heat again and cook for another 30 minutes or until the figs are very soft and juices are thick and syrupy.
(Mine was perfect until 5 minutes before this last picture was taken — I had forgotten the skillet on the stove as I was slicing ingredients for another recipe!) The picture looks darker than it actually was though.
You can eat it as is, or as an ice cream topping, or with cheese.
Leave a Reply