fig stuff.

This is Kristin.  Hello, world.  It's been forever. Apologies.

    This last week, Ty and I picked about 15 dozen fresh figs from a friend's massive backyard fig tree. The last few days have been full of non-stop fig preparation, fig brainstorming, and fig consumption. It's been crazy.  But good.  We made two different types of jam [one more spice-y, and one more fruity].  Figs roasted with honey and thyme and churned into ice cream.  Muddled figs with bourbon, OJ and balsamic.  We stuffed them with goat cheese, wrapped 'em in prosciutto, drizzled 'em with honey and put a pecan on top.  We even borrowed a friend's dehydrator and dried a few.  They didn't turn out fantastic.  I'm hoping to make tarts filled with rich, sweet cream and topped with fresh figs today.

     The actual reason for this post is to share a recipe for Savory Fig Chutney that I pretty much made up.  I knew what I wanted and couldn't find a recipe anywhere online, so I just winged it.  Served it up on a cheese plate and decided what I wanted to be different.  So here is what I ended up with, after a bit of tweaking.


1 1/2 cups chopped fresh figs [roughly 15-20 figs]

1 medium-large onion

1 garlic clove [or more depending on your taste]

1/4 cup chicken stock

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

a dash of kosher salt

1 TBSP olive oil

1.  Cut the onion into half rings, very thin.  Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat.  Once it's hot, drizzle in olive oil.  When the oil begins to shimmer, throw the onion slices in, spread into a thin layer and sprinkle the salt over the top of them.  Let cook, stirring occasionally, until they smell amazing and look very dark, but not quite burnt.  [Carmelised.] Be patient. It pays off.

2.  While the onions are cooking, mince the garlic and cut the figs.  Saute the garlic in with the cooked onions, then add the figs and stir everything together.  Cook the mixture until the figs are pretty soft, then pour in the chicken stock. [Add more or less according to what looks right to you, consistency wise.]  Sprinkle the fresh herbs over the top and keep the chutney moving around in the pan, cooking for another 5 minutes until it looks like you want it to.

3.  Spoon into a 15 oz mason jar while still hot.  Once it's completely cool, close the lid and refrigerate.

Thanks for readin'.

Until next time,
Kristin

coconut avocado ice cream.

Tonight, I felt like cooking something, but cleaning up a mess did not sound very appealing.  It was Tyler's {my brother's} night for dishes, so I asked him what I could make that he would enjoy eating enough to clean up the mess.  Confusing, but he got the point.  "Avocado ice cream" he said, without batting an eyelash.  I quickly found a recipe on this new recipe app I love, Evernote Foods, and got started.  Very simple: throw about 5 ingredients in a food processor/blender and freeze it for 4 hours.  The only issue was the 4 hour part.  As a 17 year old and a 22 year old, we obviously didn't have the patience to wait.  So into the Cuisinart ice cream maker it went.  It turned out slightly grainy, most likely from the sugar that was in it reacting to the cold. {does that sound like a reasonable hypothesis? I'm not an ice cream expert.} Pretty good flavor overall, what you'd expect from avocado ice cream.  I must confess, I didn't want to eat more than a few bites... it was just really funky.  But good.  I don't know.  Try it for yourself. It's real easy.

Here is the recipe, from http://www.lafujimama.com/ :

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 can (13.5 ounces) light coconut milk
1/2 cup liquid honey
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.  Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

2.  Pour the mixture into a storage container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

{I also added some toasted coconut to the top for the texture and flavor.  Highly recommended.  Just spread some sweetened coconut flakes on a baking sheet and put it under your oven's broiler.  Monitor verrry closely, it literally takes about 1 1/2 minutes.}

just roll with it.

Ham and Cheese Rolls & Orange Rolls

Orange Rolls on the left, Ham and Cheese Rolls on the right

I'm perfectly aware how corny the title of this post is, but lacking creativity, I'm keeping it. After our brief family trip to Michigan, my brother and I returned home a few days before our parents. For me, this almost always means cooking experiments using what ingredients we have on hand. This particular day, I found that the only not-frozen meat in the entire house was 5 slices of smoked ham, though we had lots of cheese.
I decided to whip up a batch of basic white dough in our bread maker, the same recipe we usually use for cinnamon rolls, and split the dough into one half ham and cheese rolls, and the other half orange rolls made with the citrus right from our backyard.
Since not everyone has a bread maker, obviously the basic dough recipe can change. I suggest substituting any white bread dough you have tried before and liked.

Ham and Cheese Rolls
One half batch of basic white bread dough
Spread:
6 TB butter, melted
3 TB dijon mustard
1 TB honey
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped and sauteed until translucent
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Filling:
2 oz thinly sliced Gruyere
2 oz strong white cheese, I used white cheddar for half and parmesan for half and I liked both
2 oz Monterey Jack
6-8 thin slices smoked ham, enough to create a single layer

First, flour the surface and roll the dough to 1/4-1/2 inch thick. I made a rectangle of about 12x18 inches, but it depends on your dough.
Stir together the spread ingredients and spread evenly over the dough, going up to 1/2 inch from the edges. Cover with the cheeses, distributing the three kinds evenly over the dough. Top with the sliced ham.
Roll up the dough either way you like, depending on if you want lots of rolls or larger rolls. Again, this is personal preference.
Cut with a sharp knife into rolls about 1-1 1/2 inches long. Place in a buttered baking dish (mine fit well in a large pie plate or cake pan). Set aside to rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the risen rolls about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.


Orange Rolls
One half batch white bread dough
Spread:
6 TB butter, room temperature
3 TB orange zest
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange or lemon extract
dash of cloves
salt, to taste

Flour the surface and roll the dough to 1/4-1/2 inch think. I made a rectangle of about 12x18 inches, but it depends on your dough.
Stir together the spread ingredients. Use about a tablespoon to butter a baking dish. For this many rolls, I normally use a 10 inch pie plate or cake pan.
Spread the mixture evenly over the dough, covering up to about a half inch from the edge. Roll up the dough, and cut with a sharp knife into rolls about 1-1 1/2 inches long. Place in the baking dish, and set aside to rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the risen rolls about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

I didn't think these rolls needed any frosting, but if you want to make one, I suggest the following.
Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
2 TB whipping cream
2 TB orange zest
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Powdered sugar, until it's the thickness and sweetness that you like
Beat together all the ingredients, adding the powdered sugar and beating until it's fluffy and delicious. Serve with warm rolls.

Let me know what you think of these variations on the cinnamon roll! My brother was skeptical that something in the shape of a cinnamon roll could taste good made with ham and cheese, or with orange for that matter, but half of each pan later, he was convinced.