Simple recipe for roasted figs with honey, Port and an optional touch of lavender. Delicious served either chilled for dessert or with cheese.
These are the most beautiful and delicious figs! My friends were swooning over them. - Valentina
They can say what they like.
I do give a fig.
Fig. Season. Is. Far. Too. Short.
What Are the Best Things to do with Figs?
When fresh figs are finally in season end Summer, beginning Autumn, I go crazy mad. We simply eat them raw on return from the market (washing them first, of course). Biting into a fresh, sweet fig has to be one of life's most satisfying pleasures! And yes, you can eat the skin.
We love them on their own but they also go so well with desserts as they are naturally sweet - but they are also just as delicious served with cheese and more savoury dishes. See below for some ideas.
Roast Figs for Dessert
- Apart from throwing them freshly sliced over maple granola - or chocolate & coconut granola - I love decorating cakes with them.
- For example, add it to this banana and chestnut cake and the marriage is FIG-aro, figaro, figaro! (Yes, I'm proud of that one...). C'est magni-figue!
- They're a real treat with coffee. Enjoy with a Macaron Tiramisu or serve on the side of this banana coffee cake.
- Slice on top of a quick orange blossom almond paste. Just follow this Peach Tart recipe and replace with freshly topped figs.
Did you know that figs have a high source of calcium as well as fibre?
See more at the French market fig guide.
Roasted Figs with Cheese
As the figs are roasted in Port, they are especially delicious served with cheese. Enjoy with a good roquefort, gorgonzola or goat's cheese.
They can be an original partner with cheese if you're entertaining. As the cheese board comes before dessert in France (it's the other way around in the UK: dessert then cheese). In fact, just make it the cheese and dessert course in one!
That way it keeps all guests happy if some are not partial to cheese or dessert. It's up to you if you want to keep the lavender or not. Both work well.
If you have lots of figs, then make this Corsican Fig Jam to enjoy at any time of year - it's particularly good with strong cheeses.
Savoury Roast Figs
Moreover, roasted figs are just as good added to savoury dishes too. The French love to serve fresh figs with chèvre goat's cheese, with blue cheese (like in this Roquefort salad) in salads and with Foie Gras. Just slice them thinly and serve at the side of the plate with a few grapes.
However, roasted figs with honey are delicious served with many savoury dishes. Enjoy them served with the following, for example:
- Warm Goat's Cheese Salad (salade de chèvre chaud).
- As a side with this Onion Tarte Tatin - especially as there is some hidden goats cheese inside.
- For a cooked, savoury dish - omit the prunes and add a few halved figs in the last ten minutes (no more than 10 minutes!) of cooking in this Moroccan chicken tagine. The sweetness balances so well with the spices.
How Long to Bake Figs?
To bake figs, leave their skin on and bake for 15 minutes. As you can see from the recipe below, it's so quick and simple - and doesn't even need any butter.
The reduced, splashed-in-at-the-last-minute port ends up as a reduced, syrupy sauce out of the oven. Careful not to roast them too long, as the sauce will disappear quite fast. If you need another 5 minutes, go ahead but no more!
More Flavour Variations
Just like in this my best French fig tart, I recommend adding a touch of lavender. Their fragrance is like walking into a crowd-wrestling tourist shop in Provence, with mechanical cicadas, herbes de Provence and lavender bags lining the walls. No lavender? Then lemon thyme is also good.
I use Port (white or red) but sherry is also good. If you're in Scotland, I suggest half and half of Whisky with Crabbies Ginger wine. I had this a few times as a Scottish student and so if you have access this is a winning combination (without the lavender).
Go on. Spoil yourself. Elles sont magni-figues!
Roasted Figs with Honey and Port
Ingredients
- 12 Plump violet figs (e.g. Black mission)
- 4 tablespoon Port (or Sherry)
- 2 tablespoon runny honey (Acacia)
- ½ dried lavender flower optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan/Gas 6). Cut off the tops of the figs and slice in half. Place them cut-side up in a roasting tin or baking dish.
- Pour over the port (or sweet sherry) and drizzle over the honey. If using, sprinkle over the equivalent of half a dried lavender flower.
- Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool then chill before serving.
Notes
This recipe was originally published 23 September 2011 but is now completely updated.
Valentina
These are the most beautiful and delicious figs! My friends were swooning over them. 🙂 ~Valentina
Jill Colonna
How lovely to hear, Valentina. Here's to fig season!
Nes
Such a simple yet elegant summer dessert recipe! Made it and loved it. Thank you very much!
Jill Colonna
So lovely of you to write in, Nes. Sometimes it's hard to believe you're having summer figs in Australia when it so chilly in Paris here! So happy you like the recipe.
Tonio
I love this with or without ice cream on top. So easy!
Thank you.
Jill Colonna
So glad you like this! Thanks for popping by.
Amy @ fragrantvanillacake
Your figs look wonderful Jill! I think fig season is way too short too ;)!
Patricia Green
I too love figs and have a fig tree in the garden but it is too young to produce any yet. This looks lovely and simple so will try it, thank you.
Not sure I understand the bit in brackets Jill as here in Burgundy the cheeseboard comes before the dessert.
"This can also be a more original partner with the cheese course before dessert (in France, dessert comes before the cheeseboard, unlike in the UK.) "
Jill
Oh gosh, thank you so much for spotting the booboo, Patricia. I've changed it to "after" in brackets since, as you can see, I say it correctly before the brackets. Should have proof-read! Can't believe nobody noticed this for a year!
Do you find it strange returning to the UK and returning to savoury after dessert? Even last week we had family over. They didn't touch the cheese but after dessert, they finally got stuck in to baguette, chèvre and comté (nothing wrong perhaps but we'd already eaten strawberries and ice cream!) I can no longer can get my head around that! Much prefer the French way. Don't you?
Patricia Green
Yes, I agree entirly. I also now find it strange to have bread and sometimes even butter with the cheeseboard as in the UK. I have to say that I often skip cheese as part of a meal as I am a dessert person. After all, how can cheese compete with a wonderful macaron! Sometimes a little Epoisse may tempt me though but it has to be just right. I gather you are busy writing a new book, can't wait to hear what it is about. Love your Mad about Macarons.
Jen
I am a macaron junkie! I love that you have created so many interesting kinds of them! They are so pretty and each bite is a crispy, chewy bite of bliss.
Spice Sherpa
Waaa...wahhaa... (that's me crying online). Fresh figs are such a rarity here in Upstate NY and that wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that I. LOVE. FIGS. In Calif. I grew up with fig trees, found wild fig trees and devour them during the season. Maybe I'll raid the public market, fork over the bucks for a flat and be done with it. Love your marsala recipe.
Choclette
And it was all sounding so healthy until giant macaroons came into the equation 😉
The figs looks divine even before you've roasted them to perfection. One of my favourite memories is plucking figs we found growing on a footpath in France and eating them there all warm and ripe from the sun - they never taste the same here.
The Culinary Lens
Figs are so good.. The less you do to them the better and your dish is just enough
Chef Dennis
Jill, the figs sound amazing!! But those tiramisu Macarons just send it over the edge! by the way I love your new foodbuzz pic!