Getting Figgy With it

 This week the farmer's market had peaches AND figs

 and I went into a bit of a fuge and bought

double batches of both, somehow ignoring the fact that 

I will have to actually eat a lot of the haul myself.

I will adjust to my oldest being back at college soon

but until then, I'll have to figure out what to do with 

the gifts of the season before they spoil.

Figs only last a day or two.

Eating them straight is GOD's perfect dessert.

They don't last at all though-not in the fridge or at room temp.

If the figs are ripe, you cannot sit around wondering what to do with them.

They go from firm, green nubs on the side of a branch

to caramleized vanilla nuggat

to mushy mess faster than you can blink.

I despaired at my ability to eat them all 

straight from the counter in time and decided to 

do something more elaborate.

Here are two very easy recipes for things to fancy up figs

in case you pull a glutton move like me and need something

to help you get them all eaten.

RECIPE 1:  FIGS IN HONEY SYRUP

Ingredients

about a cup of figs

2 TBSP honey

juice of a lemon

slice figs in half until they cover a shallow bowl

Mix honey with lemon juice

Pour honey over figs

Let sit an hour at room temp

This is good over pound cake with cool whip if you want to 

hear the echoes of your southern ancestors

but you can also listen for the sounds of the mediterranean

by putting it over greek yogurt.

Want to feel French?  Put it alongside a hard, sharp cheese.

Prefer a moroccan vibe?  sweet almond cake, strong coffee might take you there.

This is an easy easy trip to anywhere you want to go

that is warm and lazy.

RECIPE 2:  FIG TART

Total Ingredients List

about two cups of figs, destemmed and halved

2 TBSP butter + 6 TBSP melted

2TBSP Disarrono (or almond extract or vanilla extract)

15 sheets of thawed phyllo dough

1 package cream cheese at room temp
2 large eggs at room temp
1/2 cup sugar

2TBSP strawberry jam
juice of half a lemon
2TBSP balsamic vinegar

DON'T BE INTIMIDATED!

 This looks fiddly and I guess it kind of is b/c phyllo 

can be weird if you're not used to it. 

But there are basically four really simple steps to do

and it will only take you about 15 min if you 

can enlist a kid, 20 if you do it yourself.

Step 1:  Fruit Topping 

In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium high heat.  

Just before it starts to brown, add the flavoring.  

Let it cook for 1 min then add the figs to the mixture

 and lower the heat to medium.
Let the figs simmer about 3 min, tossing gently once or twice.  

Take off the heat and let cool a bit while you do the crust.

Step 2: Make the Crust
Put a peice of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet.  
Put a layer of phyllo dough on the parchment paper, brush with melted butter.

Put another layer of phyllo on top of that.  Brush with butter.

Repeat until you are tired of ever dealing with phyllo

which will take about 15 layers (about half a package of phyllo).

Little sweet tart (and the ready to be cooked fig tart)

Step 3: Cream Filling
Beat eggs, cream cheese and sugar using a hand mixer

until they are fairly smooth.
 No need to be too persnicktey about it.  

Spread in a semi-rectangular shape in the middle of the phyllo, 

leaving at least 2 inches of a border around the edge.

Use your fingers to place the figs face side up

on the cream filling.  
Fold the crusts along the edge up towards the filling 

and brush with (you guessed it, more butter)
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the edges are just browning.

Let cool for about 5 min.

Step 4:Glaze
Mix the jam, lemon juice and balsamic in a small bowl.
Brush the mixture above over the whole thing to 

give it a little shine and a little bit twinge of sweet/acid.
Try not to eat it all at once.

If you're doing a fancy dinner party vibe,

serve it with whipped cream, tiny bits of pistachio and flecks of fresh basil.

It will theoretically serve 10.

If you're a lazy household of gluttons,

this will theoretically serve 3

and there will be a mess of phyllo pastry littering the floor

around the stove

and your dogs will delight in vacuuming it up.