Succulent Figs

Filed in archive Food Blogosphere , From Garden to Table on August 17, 2007

Figs are ripening in the trees that grow from virtually every nook and cranny in our village. Every morning I pick a few off the tree in our garden and enjoy them as a breakfast treat. Their flavor is pure, sweet and succulent.

I saw the following recipe last year on Melissa's beautiful blog, The Traveler's Lunchbox and have been waiting (im)patiently to make it ever since.

Fig and Goat Cheese Clafoutis

Serves: 6
Notes: Equal parts custard, cheesecake and pancake, this clafoutis is not terribly traditional, but it is really good. Serve it in generous wedges, lukewarm or at room temperature, with something fresh and tangy as counterpoint - some lightly-sweetened crème fraîche or greek yogurt, a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt or perhaps some homemade buttermilk ice cream...

5 oz (150g) mild goat cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (110g) sugar, plus extra for dipping figs
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 lb (500g) figs, any variety
powdered/icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Put the goat cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next. Whisk in the honey and cream. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them too. Whisk in the flour just until no lumps remain. At this point the batter can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours (and indeed, some people say it improves with age).

Halve the figs lengthwise. Grease a shallow baking dish or cast-iron skillet (approx 10in/25cm diameter) with butter and pour in the batter. Pour some sugar into a shallow bowl and dip the figs, cut-side down, into the sugar. Arrange them, cut-side up, in the batter.

Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes (this will depend on how large your baking dish is). Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Merci Melissa for such a lovely recipe!