It’s a Fig-a-palooza!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 5:04PM in Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Giveaways, Ice Cream, Jam, desserts, fruit, opinion, recipes, salad, snack 
Who doesn’t love figs? I know we do. LOVE. If, like me, your only exposure to figs while growing up was in Fig Newtons, then you need to get yourself some fresh figs, STAT. Not that there’s anything wrong with Fig Newtons--I still love those cookies to this day. Fresh figs are completely different. Slightly sweet, so fresh tasting--like summer! I say get some STAT, because the fresh fig season is so short, sadly. Seems they appear in the markets as quickly as they disappear. You need to jump on them when you see them, or you may not get any.
So when Cristina from the California Fig Advisory Board contacted me about trying some fresh figs*, I nearly jumped through my laptop--all the way to California--to say “Yes, please!”
I was expecting maybe a pound or two? No. It was so funny when I opened the door. There were two giant boxes waiting for me. They were both filled almost to the brim with figs! There were five flats of fresh figs that had 36 in each--and all different varieties. Plus--two bags full of dried figs, that were each weighing in at four pounds! I didn’t get any photos of them because honestly, it was incredibly hot the day they arrived, and my first priority was to get the flats broken down and the delicate figs stored somewhere cool. My friend Kathy at A Good Appetite got some beautiful photos of what exactly was included, and I’m sure you’ll want to see them. Figs are just gorgeous, inside and out!
So let’s add that up, ok? Five flats of 36 each--that’s 15 dozen fresh figs! And 4 pounds of dried figs! We’re in fig heaven, I’m telling you. What have we done with them? Well, besides eating a ton of them as they are, I made a fig jam and fig ice cream. There were so many of them, and they’re pretty fragile, so we ended up freezing some of them for winter use. I’ll be looking forward to that!
The Fig Ice Cream can be found at Vanilla Garlic. It’s creamy, figgy and wonderful! Also--easy, but it can be time consuming when it comes to cooking the figs down.
The Fig Jam--well, I just read a few recipes and winged it. The result is a thick, chunky fig jam that is delicious anywhere you’d use any other jam. It would also be amazing with a nice aged cheese, which I’m all out of! Damn.
Fig Jam
makes about 2 cups
14-15 fresh figs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
small splash of lime juice
Rinse the figs and quarter them. Add them to a medium saucepan with only the water left on them from rinsing.
Cook them down over medium heat, and kind of smush them with a wooden spoon to help them along. Cook them down for 15-20 minutes.
Stir in the sugar, increase heat a bit, and let the figs cook more. Stir occasionally.
It'll be hot, so be careful! (A splatter screen comes in very handy here.)
Cook the figs and sugar until it's thickened and almost burnt smelling, as if you were caramelizing sugar.Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and lime juice.
Let cool, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
I also used some figs in my Summer Harvest Salad. They’re a great addition to your summer salads!
The California Fig Advisory Board has also generously offered to give one of you the SAME PACKAGE I received. (Remember, you can see photos of the entire thing at A Good Appetite.) This one is open to US residents only because of shipping.
One winner will receive the same five flats of fresh figs, and two bags of dried figs. That’s a lot of figgy goodness! Two huge boxes worth!
Because the shipping season for figs is so short, this has to be a quickie giveaway. The winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday, August 28th.
1. Just leave a comment here telling me what you’d like to make with figs.
2. You can retweet this twice a day on Twitter, if you like, and get an additional comment entry with each tweet. Please leave the timestamp of your tweets in your comment. Retweet this tweet:
It’s a Fig-a-palooza! HUGE fig prize package! Visit @elleskitchen for more details. http://tinyurl.com/33kvppr
Be sure to leave a valid email where you can be reached!
That’s it! Easy, right? Good luck!
AND THE WINNER IS...
Number 12 is...SMITH BITES
Congratulations to our winner, and thank you to everyone for entering!
*The California Fig Advisory Board generously gave me the fresh and dried figs to try, as well as the same package to give away to one of my readers. I was not compensated to write this article and give my opinions.
Elle | Print Article | Share Article | Email Article | 98 Comments tagged cooking, figs, giveaway, ice cream, jam, new england, recipe, salad
Reader Comments (98)
Ohmigosh... I NEED to win this!!
I would make EVERYTHING with figs - sweet and savory!
Fig Ice Cream. Fig preserves. Fig cake. Fig infused vodka. Fig pizza. Do I need to go on?
I wanna wrap bacon around them and grill them...
tee hee!
Wahoo! It's hard for me to find figs here, so I would LOVE to have these! I'd try making some of my own fig cookies, and also wrap some in prosciutto to serve as an appetizer at a dinner get together! Delish!
I'm not entering because we have our share of the fig bounty but I wanted to say your jam sounds great! I had some of ours on a grilled cheese sandwich today & it was such a good pairing.
I think it is funny that you were sent a box of California figs - I finally found figs in our grocery store. I have been asking for weeks and they kept saying it was not the season while everyone else in the world was already enjoying them! I love figs!! I mean love love love. Even just popping them fresh into my mouth.
Great post and delicious salad, Elle!
Tweeted the giveaway today, too! http://twitter.com/madamemenu/status/22121748636
Figs .. yumm... I'd eat a whole bunch of the whole just like you did .. and then I'd make some fig jam, fig cookies (never had them but why not!), Add some figs to a salad ... that's a whole lot of figs... I'd love to try many different varieties of figs...
I am intrigued by gorgonzola and fig pizza! Or even an almond and fig tart! Oh yummy!
I love figs sooooo much - but am sad to say that they are VERY hard to come by here in the midwest! in fact, only 1 store has them and you have to be there on the right day, at the right time or you lose! i really, really, really want to win this one!!
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/NavyLady6894/status/22122842501
and i've tweeted this post too - WOO! @elleskitchen: It’s a Fig-a-palooza! HUGE fig prize package! Visit @elleskitchen for more details. http://tinyurl.com/33kvppr
I don't know how to get the timestamp of my tweet - but here's the link to it ... http://twitter.com/dafogle/status/22122919569
Fig chutney for a nice roast pork! Yum!
Wow, some type of pound or sponge cake with a figgy filling!! YUM!! Your jam looks amazing.
I'm thinking of making fig jam and then crepes with and jam dressed over it! :) Honestly, anything with fig and cheese is a winner in my book! :)
Retweeted!!
Slice a fresh fig in half. Stuff each half with Gorgonzola, wrap the whole thing in prosciutto, and broil until the cheese just starts to bubble. Serve with a sweet white dessert wine (Dolce from Far Niente in Napa is highly recommended).
Tweeted and published on my FB page!!
OMG, I would looove to win this. I have yet to find fresh figs in my grocery store. I would make a fig and goat cheese tart, eat some plain, and maybe some fig preserves. Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
OMG, I NEED to make that fig ice cream! It looks absolutely amazing. I also have a fantastic fig bread recipe that I usually make with dried figs even though the original recipe calls for fresh...I would love to try it with the "real deal" since it is AMAZING even with dried figs.
Also tweeted this:
http://twitter.com/cupcake_muffin/status/22125302707
Beautiful Elle! I love the jam and the ice cream! I would probably have to try my hand at the ice cream if I had a bunch!
I'd definitely make fig jam and or a nice fig tart. Thanks for the giveaway!
here's my second tweet of your giveaway for today http://twitter.com/dafogle/status/22132325242
On pizza with arugula and bacon, STAT. And I'm thinking your fig jam would be kind of amazing served warm with a rosemary-rubbed pork tenderloin.
Tweet here: http://twitter.com/SaltySpoon/status/22132656030
FIGAPALOOZA!
this is a must win!!!
I'd like to make little crostini's with figs and melted taleggio cheese drizzled with a little bit of honey!
OMG, I love figs! I sooooo want to win this! Thank you for a fabulous giveaway!
OMG Elle, I so want to win. On any ordinary day even if the prize is extremely appealing I just won't be this motivated to enter a comment but figs for god's sake are something else. I made this this month with figs http://foodwanderings.blogspot.com/2010/08/figs-post-coming-soon.html and working on another post of a sweet fig gratin. I got so many more fig recipes in me, a fig confiture, fig ice cream with a touch of cardamon and many more. Shulie
Oops, was so excited, forgot to tell you what I'd make! I think I would make honey roasted figs with vanilla ice cream!
I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/browneyedbaker/status/22133217162
I don't even know where to begin --- since being on the east coast they're hard to come by...
I would start with baked gorgonzola figs wrapped in bacon, ginger fig chicken, fig salsa, fig-raspberry tartlet..the list is endless!
Pick ME!!! =)
Dhara @ Edible Bits!
http://ediblebits.blogspot.com/
tweeted!!
Ediblebits
It’s a Fig-a-palooza! HUGE fig prize package! Visit @elleskitchen for more details. http://tinyurl.com/33kvppr
That's a lot of figs!! I would make Honeyed Figs with Roasted Rosemary Goat Cheese (bit.ly/bqBfUM). Would try your fig jam recipe. Yum! Figs on pizza and salad. And, fig bars. Then we'd eat a whole bunch just the way they are.
I tweeted this at 8:43 PM today (Wednesday).
Oh and a fig and brie pastry puff!!!
How fabulous!!! I would make my own fig spread - that way I wouldn't have to buy any. And I would recreate something I had at a restaurant this week - whipped ricotta w/ figs and olive oil. Yum!
I want to try something along the lines of apple butter..but with figs...and homemade fig newtons would be fun too!!
Wow! I would make a fresh fig and mascarpone torte that I've been dying to make but have not seen any figs in my market!!!
Tweeted this 8:36pm 8/25//2010
I would love to win these figs and promise to give them a good and happy home in my kitchen. I have a fig tree in my New England garden but only have harvested a few fruits so far. I would so welcome the bounty of CA to make fig jam, grilled figs w honey & homemade cheese and my Chocolate Fig Feather Cake-pretty picture here: http://wp.me/pBizX-1W
robin at dovesandfigs
Tweeted by @dovesandfigs
I'd make fig jam! (That is, if any are left after I've eaten those lovely figs just as they are!)
I would use the figs with my second grade class! We are studying habitats in the 2nd grade, and since figs are not grown here in Ohio, this would make a great lesson. I would venture to say that none of my students have ever tasted a fig. Also, I have a great bread recipe that uses figs, so I'd have to make a couple loaves of that delicious, moist bread!
me need figs.
Ooo...I <3 fresh figs, but we just don't get good ones here! I'd make your fig jam (sounds yummy!), fig salad, fig tarts, fig butter, fig bread...I'd be a happy baker! :)
would do similar to you and get my fill of the fresh figs, make some jam,and would make an Italian cookie called Cuccidati with the dried figs. my family and i make these every year for a St.Joseph's Altar in our small town of Marrero, La. I've been doing this for over 60 yrs. It would really help to defray the cost, considering we make at least 100 lbs. sometimes more. Thanks for the opportunity to win these wonderful FIGS!!!
tweeted at 8:30pm on 08/25/2010
I wuld love to win so I could make some fig jam!