Come September, as we bewail the lack of a ‘proper’ Summer, the autumnal fruits creep almost unnoticed into the shops. The most exotic of these are the little packets of fresh figs that arrive almost ripe, and at a reasonable price, and now’s the time to make use of them with this easy dessert recipe.
I’m almost embarrassed (but not embarrassed enough, obviously) post this as a recipe; it has only 4 ingredients, and takes about 15 minutes to put together. If your interaction with figs until now has extended no further than a packet of Fig Rolls (nothing wrong with that; they were my Dad’s favourites 
) or are not sure whether you’d like them or not, why not give the fresh variety a go with this recipe?
I hope you’ll become a convert like me!
EQUIPMENT:
- A shallow roasting tin, lined with baking parchment.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3-4 figs per person
- Greek or natural yoghurt, whichever you prefer.
- Honey
- salted butter
METHOD:
- Remove the pointed tops off the figs and cut a deep cross into each fruit, and place into the roasting tin
- top each fig with a teaspoon each of honey and butter (I used set honey here, but runny is absolutely fine)
- place into the oven at 160 degrees for 15-20 minutes
- Test each fig with a knife to ensure that they are tender(the ripeness varies with each one)
- Remove from the oven and place 3-4 into each serving dish.
Look at them – aren’t they gorgeous!
- spoon the juices from the roasting tin over the figs – this will have not only the combination of the butter and honey, but there will be juice from the figs as well, giving the sauce a beautiful pink shade.
- Top with yoghurt and a generous drizzle of honey while still warm.
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx