Friday's Fave Foods----Figs

Tennessee Mountain Fig Tree



In about a month or so, the first crop of figs will appear on the fig trees down south. What to do with all those figs, besides let the birds eat them? Once again, I turn to "Joy Of Cooking" for answers!

Baked Figs With Ricotta*****"Joy Of Cooking"

Preheat oven to 350

Combine in a small saucepan:

6 TBSP sugar

1/2 cup water

Bring to a boil, cover, and boil until the sugar is dissolved and the the syrup is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in:

1/2 cup sweet or dry Marsala

Snip the stems from

8 fresh figs

Quarter the figs from the top down almost to, but not through, the bottoms. Press up from the bottom to spread the figs open and place in a shallow baking pan. Spoon the Marsala syrup over the figs. Bake until the figs are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash together:

6 TBSP of ricotta or marscapone cheese (2 oz)

6 TBSP of heavy cream or milk

1 tsp of sugar

When the figs are done, place them in serving dishes and dab some of the cheese mixture into the center of each fig flower, and spoon the syrup around. Serve warm or at room temp. Garnish, if desired with

Shaved bittersweet chocolate