Orange Poached Figs Recipes

ORANGE POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, pepper and vanilla bean.
• Place an inverted 3-cup souffle dish in the center of a 10-inch pie plate to create a ring mold. Pour the liquid mixture into the dish.
• Arrange the figs in a circle, leaning them against the souffle dish with the stems facing up. Invert a second 10-inch pie plate over the first to form a cover.
• Cook at 100 percent power in a high-power oven for 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Let figs cool before serving warm, or let cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream or heavy cream.

HONEY POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• In a small or medium saucepan that's large enough to hold the figs, heat water, honey, and sugar (and vanilla and cinnamon, if using) on medium-high. Cook until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and add figs. Let simmer until tender but not mushy, 5-10 minutes, turning them occasionally so that each side is poached evenly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer figs to a bowl. Let the water-honey liquid continue simmering on medium-low heat until liquid reduces and thickens to a syrup consistency, about 15 more minutes. Let cool.
• Once the figs have cooled slightly, remove stems and cut in half.
• Keep sauce and figs in the refrigerator until ready to use. Serve at room temperature.
• Arrange figs and serve as desired. Figs can be served either a dollop of whipped cream, mascarpone, crème fraiche, or yogurt, or alongside desserts such as cake, cheesecake, or crepes. Drizzle with syrup.

VANILLA PORT POACHED FIGS WITH HONEY CREAM

Steps:

• Trim a small piece from the bottom of each fig so they stand up straight. Remove stems, and score a 1/4 inch "X" into the top of each fig. Set aside.
• In a bowl, beat whipping cream together with sour cream until stiff peaks form. (This can be done either by hand, or with an electric mixer.) Gently fold in 1/4 cup of honey and a pinch of salt. Cover, and refrigerate.
• Pour port into a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, cloves, 1 tablespoon honey, vanilla extract, balsamic vinegar, and lemon and orange zests. Stir to dissolve honey and blend flavors. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for up to 30 minutes, or as time allows, being careful not to reduce liquid too much. Place figs upright in pan, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
• To serve, place a spoonful of honey cream in the center of each plate. Arrange 3 figs around the cream, and drizzle with a small amount of poaching liquid. Tuck a sprig of mint into the slit on the top of each fig. Serve immediately.

OVEN-POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put figs in an 8-inch square ceramic or glass baking dish. Pour port, wine, honey, and orange juice over figs. Submerge remaining ingredients in the liquid around figs. Cover dish with foil, and bake 1 hour.
• Remove foil; continue to bake 45 minutes more, basting 2 or 3 times with accumulated juices. Let cool completely, turning figs occasionally to keep moist.
• Transfer figs to a plate. Pour liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for fig vinaigrette. Discard solids. Figs can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

POACHED FIGS WITH FRESH RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat 3 cups water, the sugar, honey, and orange strips and grated zest in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar and honey have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add figs; cover, and simmer until figs are just tender, about 20 minutes. Gently transfer figs to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Raise heat to medium-high, and bring syrup to a boil. Cook until syrup has reduced and thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Return figs to pan, and gently toss with syrup to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup ricotta into each of 4 bowls. Divide figs among bowls, and drizzle with syrup. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

FIGS IN SPICED SYRUP

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan (it should be large enough to hold all the figs). Stir as needed to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the half of a cinnamon stick and whatever other spices you choose to use (or all of them!) and simmer the syrup for about 10 minutes.
• Trim off and discard the stems from the figs.
• Put the figs in the syrup. Simmer about 5 minutes. Don't cook them too long, or they will completely fall apart.
• Remove the figs from the syrup and let the figs and syrup cool separately for about 15 minutes (if you leave the figs in, they will soften and start to fall apart a bit, so if that sounds good, leave them in!).
• Once slightly cooled off, strain the syrup, discard the spices, and pour the syrup back over the figs.

FIG AND ORANGE COMPOTE

Steps:

• Using a zester, remove the zest of one orange in long strips.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the pith from all the oranges, so the flesh is fully exposed. Slice the oranges crosswise into sections 1/4 inch thick. Remove seeds, and place the slices in a bowl.
• Blend the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir well to dissolve the sugar completely. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or to a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat, and add grenadine syrup. Blend well. Set aside.
• Place 4 figs snugly in a small saucepan. Pour just enough syrup over them so they are 90 percent covered. Add the strips of orange zest. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove and refrigerate.
• Place the 4 cooked figs over the marinating orange slices in the bowl. Pour over the cooking liquid and 4 tablespoons of Grand Marnier. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
• Just before serving, slice the 4 uncooked figs lengthwise into four sections.
• Distribute the chilled orange slices and their juices over 4 chilled plates. Lay four uncooked fig quarters over each serving, and top with a poached fig. Sprinkle with the 2 remaining tablespoons of Grand Marnier, and garnish each with a sprig of mint.

POACHED FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Spread the sugar in the bottom of the pan, and pour in 1/2 cup water and the lemon juice. Set the figs in the pan, stem up, in one layer. Nestle the strips of lemon zest and the bay leaves in between the figs.
• Set the pan over low heat, and cook slowly until the sugar melts and the figs release their juices. As the juices rise in the pan, gradually raise the heat to keep them bubbling (and "galloping"). When the figs are soft and the liquid level comes halfway up their sides, in 30 minutes or more, turn off the heat, and let the figs rest in the pan for an hour or longer, to reabsorb some of the juices.
• Slowly heat the figs and juices until they're bubbling again, and cook for 30 minutes or so, until the figs are very soft (but still intact) and the juices have become thick and syrupy.
• Let the figs cool before serving. Arrange them in a serving dish if you like, with the syrup all around. Enjoy the fruit and syrup on their own, or atop vanilla ice cream, or with a soft, creamy cheese such as Taleggio or Robiola.

OVEN-POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325° F. Put the figs in an 8-inch-square ceramic or glass baking dish. Pour the port, wine, honey, and orange juice over the figs. Submerge the remaining ingredients in the liquid around the figs. Cover the dish with foil, and bake 1 hour.
• Remove the foil; continue to bake 45 minutes more, basting 2 or 3 times with the accumulated juices. Let cool completely, turning the figs occasionally to keep them moist.
• Transfer the figs to a plate. Pour the liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for the fig vinaigrette (recipe above). Discard the solids. The figs can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.