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
