Figs in Honey

Kevie192

Hi all,

Caught a Jamie Oliver Xmas show the other day and he dehydrated some figs until they were like wine gums and served them with a cheese board.

I have found the recipe here and it seems you can preserve these by placing them in honey, but I had a few questions I hope someone can help me with:

1. Where can I buy figs relatively cheaply this time of year?
2. How long will the honey preserve them for?
3. I have a dehydrator so would dehydrate them in there. How long would it take if it takes 10hrs in an oven?
4. Could I put some walnuts in with the figs in the honey? Thought they would be nice together...
5. Do I need to heat the honey before bottling? I will obviously sterilise the jars.

Thanks,

Kevin

charlies-aunt

No answers but will be watching this thread with interest - figs, honey and walnuts = food heaven

nuatha

The only reference I've got to figs in my notes is 6-8 hours at 140F.
Plunge ripe fruit into boiling water for 30 seconds then immediately into chilled (iced) water. Slice into two and mist the cut sides with lemon juice then straight into the dehydrator.

Preserving them in honey sounds like heaven.
My only source for fresh figs at the moment is an Indian grocer's, but if you have a Turkish grocer in the vicinity, that's where I'd start looking.

HTH

nuatha

Just after I hit post, I remembered a fruit butter a friend used to make for her cheeseboard, it was dried figs, dried pears, chopped walnuts all processed together and just enough honey to bind. She used to roll this into rounds and slightly flatten them (size and shape of a babybel) and pop them back in the dehydrator for an hour or two, a seriously wonderful addition to a cheeseboard.

Kevie192

Thanks nuatha, that sounds wonderful!

What kind of texture was the final product? Was it hard or still spreadable? And how would you store it? In the fridge? Any chance of an actual recipe?

Thanks again,

Kevin

Kevie192

*bump*

Hoping nuatha will see this

Steve059

I think I've seen fresh figs in a local greengrocers. If and when you find any, try this fig recipe as well ...

FIGS IN BRANDY

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

4 ripe fresh figs
4 tablespoons of brandy
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
¼ of a teaspoon of grated nutmeg
150ml (1 small pot) of plain yoghurt

METHOD

Wash the figs and cut a cross in the top.

Put in an ovenproof dish. Spoon the brandy over the figs. Sprinkle the sugar over the figs. Grate the nutmeg and sprinkle it over the figs.

Cover the dish with foil. Cook in a preheated oven at 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4 for 25 minutes.

Serve with the cooking juice spooned over the figs, and the yoghurt.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Use Cointreau or port instead of the brandy.

Use brown sugar for preference, but white sugar will do.

Use crème fraîche or ice cream instead of the yoghurt.

nuatha

Kevie192 wrote: »

Thanks nuatha, that sounds wonderful!

What kind of texture was the final product? Was it hard or still spreadable? And how would you store it? In the fridge? Any chance of an actual recipe?

Thanks again,

Kevin

Kevie192 wrote: »

*bump*

Hoping nuatha will see this

Thank you for the bump, I'd forgotten to reply.
I've emailed the friend to ask for the recipe as I can't find it in my files (sure I had a copy).
I stored it in the fridge in an airtight container and seem to remember it lasting a couple of months at least (though when I remembered it was there it vanished rather quickly)
Texture was more squashable rather than spreadable if that makes sense.

Actual recipe as soon as I get it.