Radically Delicious Figs: Two Recipes

Fresh Figs in Nightgowns On one of the hottest days of the year, in my air-conditionless pantry, my Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread) had become the consistency of molten chocolate. As it is quite sweet, I mixed it with yogurt, and one by one dipped a whole basket of fleshy purple figs into the mixture. I placed them in the refrigerator, whereupon the coating firmed up to make a very seductive dessert. My husband named them. Almost all of the fresh figs grown in the U.S. come from California.

12 large ripe purple fresh figs 1 cup Nutella 1-1/2 cups plain yogurt Wash figs and pat dry. Set aside. Put Nutella in a warm place so that it is easy to spoon. Or place the jar in a bowl of very hot water. Spoon yogurt into a clean bowl. Whisk in 1 cup Nutella until completely smooth.  One by one, dip each fig into the mixture, holding it by its stem.  Cover each fig completely or almost completely with a thin coating. Place on a large plate lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate until very cold. Serve with a few tablespoons of plain yogurt alongside. Present on fresh fig, grape or lemon leaves. Serve immediately with a fork and a knife.  Serves 4

Fresh Figs & Shaved Halvah with Warm Honey Syrup Here's an unorthodox but compelling combo of luscious fresh figs and thin slices of nutty halvah, a dense confection that resembles, at times, shards of cheese.  This dish offers a good opportunity to try an interesting variety of honey such as wild thyme, linden or leatherwood honey (from Australia.)

1/2 cup fragrant honey 12 ripe large black or green figs, or a combination 6-ounce chunk of pistachio, or other flavor, halvah handful of fresh red currants, chopped pistachios, or slivered spearmint

Combine the honey and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Wash the figs and cut them in half, lengthwise. Arrange, cut side up, on 4 large plates. Cut the halvah into paper-thin slices. Drizzle the honey on the figs and scatter the halvah on and around the figs. Garnish with currants or nuts, or spearmint.  Serves 4

Dr. Bee, Moe and Me

Several days ago, I hopped on a train from Manhattan's majestic Grand Central Station to Tarrytown, New York -- Pocantico Hills to be exact.  I love that ride as the train hugs the Hudson and within minutes has you believing that you are on vacation.  In fact, I was.  I was on my way to a honey tasting with my best friend, Dale Bellisfield, clinical herbalist and urban bee keeper, to the home of some guy who Dale met when she gave a lecture at Stone Barns some weeks before.  Maurice, or Moe, was also a bee keeper, and kept 100 honeys in nooks and crannies all over his restored carriage house -- jars and bottles of amber liquid of varying shapes, sizes, and hues could be found hugging the kitchen walls, stashed under his bed, and secreted in the basement (next to his Harley and collection of vintage leather jackets).  Incongruous, to say the least, Moe was congenial and generous with his time, knowledge and...honey.  He also kept a sophisticated cache of important teas which we brewed and drank all afternoon -- both a libation and palate cleanser. My magnum of blended Malbec-Bonarda from Argentina went unopened (although I do have more than a passing fancy as to the effects of honey on red wine.)  Dale, also generous to a fault, brought three cheeses -- Humboldt Fog goat cheese, Gorgonzola picante, and ricotta salata -- perfect for partnering with honey -- ultra-thin crackers, and several blue-ribbon award-winning honeys from New Jersey.  Along with heritage pork, heirloom vegetables, and zip code organics, honey is one of the trends of the year.  Connoisseurship of nature's sweet elixir will soon rival the expertise of a great sommelier.  As with any professional wine tasting, our honey tasting was scored on a scale of 1 to 20, with copious note taking and much discussion.  What words does one use to describe honey?  What characteristics are most important?  How do you strip away the concept of sweetness and go deeper to the nuances of aroma, flavor and mouthfeel?  Fascinating stuff, really.

We were giddy with pleasure and no doubt experiencing a sugar high.  Hands down, the winner was (Moe was not voting at this moment)  ...the honey from Pocantico Hills!  Moe had made it!  Dale and I both ranked it first -- with exclamations of "what finesse, elegant, notes of lychee, Bordeaux-like."  Moe's honey came from the pollination of wildflowers, trees and shrubs.  Other honeys we tried, and loved, included cotton honey from Georgia, yellow star thistle, purple star thistle, gallberry, black locust, tupelo, lavender honey from Spain, manuka, and the only honey made on Martha's Vineyard, gathered from local wildflowers.  Adjectives like musty, dusty, licorice, lemony, molasses-y, floral, leathery, guns & roses, peppered our speech.  With many thank to Maurice (Moe) Curran, a super-tech executive, turned country gent on a Harley, for a very special day.  Friends forever.   Gather thy honey, while thee may and enjoy a tasting of your own.

Dr. Bee

Honey is the food of bees.  This coming Sunday, at the revered, sustainable eco-food complex Stone Barns (where chef Dan Barber is king), there will be a wonderful talk about bees and an equally wonderful honey tasting.  Led by urbane, urban beekeeper Dale Bellisfield, RN, CH (a noted clinical herbalist and medical practitioner), we (I will be there!) will learn about the medical uses of honey and be guided in the tasting of multiple varieties in a program called Bee M.D.  Honey, in all its glory, from bits of real honeycomb, to the connoisseurship of more than 300 varieties (and perhaps as many as 650 distinct types), is on the hit parade of trends this year. The exploitation of its flavor profiles is slowly becoming part of the new menu language and will soon rival chocolate, or wine, in esoteric discussions of provenance and pedigree.  I, for one, am crazy about wild thyme honey from Sicily, leatherwood honey from Australia, buckwheat honey (in very small doses), and the linden honey I once sampled from Ms. Bellisfield's own hives.  I use it sparingly in my cooking but love its primal uses:  drizzled over pungent blue cheese, stirred into homemade labneh, tossed with blackberries and mint, or dissolved into a bourbon sour.

Honey is an entirely natural food, made up of natural sugars, pollen, protein, minerals and amino acids and, it has a long history.  Cave paintings in Spain depict the practice of beekeeping more than 7000 years ago, and many sources, both cultural and folkloric, demonstrate its use in medicinal and religious practices.  This "food of the Gods" is made by bees using nectar from flowers -- whose flavor, aroma and color can differ dramatically depending on the flowers that the nectar was collected from.  Ergo, there are as many flavors of honey in the world as exists combinations of blossoms in bloom at the same time.  There is major interest right now in single varieties -- such as lavender, acacia, or pine -- and there is much attention given to "fair trade honey."  Much to learn.   See you at Stone Barns.  To sign up go to www.stonebarnscenter.org/bee-md.

In the meantime, here is a favorite recipe of  mine using honey in an unexpected way.  Adapted from Radically Simple: Brilliant Flavors with Breathtaking Ease.

Cappellini with Spicy Fish Sauce Marinara Lemon, fresh ginger, Thai fish sauce, and honey, coalesce into an exceptional marriage of flavors in this quick pasta sauce.  It can double as a fabulous adornment for grilled fish and steak -- just swirl 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter into the finished sauce.

28-ounce can whole tomatoes in puree 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon aromatic honey 2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce 3 large garlic cloves 1 lemon slice, about 1/4-inch thick 2 nickel-size pieces peeled fresh ginger 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes 12 ounces fresh cappellini

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Combine the tomatoes and puree, oil, honey, fish sauce, garlic, lemon, ginger, and pepper flakes in a food processor.  Process until very smooth.  Transfer to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook until thick, 8 minutes.  Cook the pasta 1 to 2 minutes until tender. Drain well and shake dry.  Transfer to bowls and spoon the sauce on top.  Grated parmigiano-reggiano, optional.  Serves 4