Have you ever wondered what to do with figs? The possibilities are endless! Besides being an all-star cracker topping (with goat cheese, of course), figs can be transformed into fig jam (which pairs excellently with peanut butter in a pancake sandwich), fig pizza toppings, oatmeal mix-ins, fig pancake filling, and fig ice cream (recipe coming soon), among countless other palate-pleasers.
This week, after my good friend Amanda sent me home with some figs from her tree, I learned a little bit about eating figs in new forms…
naan pizza
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| naan pizza |
…homemade cooked naan (recipe coming soon) with tomato paste, edamame-almond hummus (recipe coming soon), smoked salmon, goat cheese, basil, pineapple, fig, and salmon…broiled for 8 minutes.
bacon-fig pancakes
(adapted from Martha Stewart’s bacon pancake recipe)
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| brice made me a “B” pancake with a funnel 🙂 |
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| my favorite pancake recipe to date! |
- preheat oven to 200*F
- cook 8 bacon strips in large pan. set bacon on paper towels. pour all but 1-2 t. bacon grease into cup/bowl and set aside. with remaining oil in pan, saute 2 cloves crushed garlic until browned. remove garlic pieces with slotted spoon, or leave in oil to be incorporated with pancakes– your call!
- in medium bowl, combine 1 cup milk with 1 t. lemon juice (or vinegar)…you may also omit the lemon juice and use 1 c. buttermilk instead. after milk has curdled, add 1 egg, 2 T. melted butter, and 2-3 figs (skins removed)….you may also omit figs, or use another fruit, like pureed dates or bananas. mash and whisk ingredients to uniform smooth texture (may be lumpy)
- in separate medium bowl, combine 1 c. flour (I used all-purpose), 2 T. sugar, 1.5 t. baking powder, 0.5 t. baking soda, and 0.5 t. sea salt. whisk together.
- with a rubber spatula, stir dry ingredients into wet, until just moistened (will be lumpy).
- pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan with garlic/bacon grease (medium-low heat), and top batter with one whole bacon slice. when bubbles start to burst on the top of the batter, flip with spatula and cook to brown underside. place cooked pancake in a platter (we used an old pie tin), loosely cover with foil, and pop into warmed oven until all pancakes are finished. add more bacon grease to pan as needed.
- top pancakes with fig jam, fresh figs, powdered sugar, butter, homemade simple syrup (I simmered 1 c. water + 1/2 c. sugar + 1 t. almond extract for 30 minutes), peanut butter, whipped cream, etc.
- I had mine with a side of pineapple with powdered sugar (a little secret I learned from Jessica)
Fun Food Fact:
Figs are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, and manganese!
I don’t know if I have ever even had a fig!! These pancakes sure do make me want to try them, though!! And I like the cracker topping idea…pair anything with goat cheese and I will eat it!