Mediocre figs

May 30, 2023 3:37 AM

Is there any way to improve a mediocre fig?

I was given a basketful of mediocre slightly underripe black figs which had been put in the freezer by mistake so there is no chance of ripening further. They are edible, just not terribly flavourful and, of course, the texture is shot.

Are there any recipes or ways of cooking figs that would improve them? Roasting? Fig jam?

I am aware that throwing them away or composting them is an option, so no need to propose it. I am also aware that I can try a bunch of different techniques and see which works best, but am hoping someone already knows the answer.

posted by tavegyl to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

I would roast them until caramelized, drizzle with balsamic, and eat them over vanilla ice cream.
posted by dr. boludo at 3:39 AM on May 30, 2023 [9 favorites]

Chop them up and add to an equal amount of sliced sweet onions, cook low and slow in a Dutch oven in a neutral oil until browned, deglaze with red wine, brown a second time until the pan is almost dry again. In a separate pan, or done first and set aside, sear the skin side of some bone in chicken thighs. Nestle those into your fig and onion mixture skin side up, add chicken stock to an inch or so below the top of the chicken (so the browned skin looks like islands) add your favorite dried herbs and spices (thyme, herbs du Provence, cumin, etc) and season liberally. Cover and simmer until the thighs are cooked through. You can also delay the skin browning step and take them out at the end and crisp them up under a broiler at the very end, but I tend to overcook my chicken that way. Also great if you add olives, lemon, and fennel when you add the chicken, and swap to white wine. You might want to increase the sweetness by adding some sugar or honey or similar if the figs are really not at all sweet.
posted by Mizu at 4:19 AM on May 30, 2023 [6 favorites]

My last address had an enormous fig tree. That meant a decade of experimenting with different fruit quality depending on the climate. Underripe omits a lot of possible options (including, in my opinion, making jam/preserves that you can then turn into an amazing fig granita on hot days). Your saving grace is going to be the savory route, as in achar (here's a quick example, but I found that a lot of the amla/gooseberry pickle recipes work really well with under-amazing figs).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:54 AM on May 30, 2023 [5 favorites]

Another sweet variation: roasting with honey and serving with Greek yogurt. Or roasting with honey & serving in filo pastry parcels with baked goats cheese!
posted by socky_puppy at 5:36 AM on May 30, 2023

This fig ketchup is great! Lots of other flavors to help round out mediocre figs.
posted by gregr at 7:54 AM on May 30, 2023

Pork + fig soup. Unfortunately I don't have my mum's recipe but here's an example.
posted by pianissimo at 8:35 AM on May 30, 2023

The amla pickle suggestion makes me wonder if you could make fig umeboshi.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 5:01 PM on May 30, 2023