Mascarpone Stuffed Fresh Figs and Honey Balsamic Vinegar

9.24.10

I've recently fallen in love with figs.

They look intimidating at first sight. You heard me right.

Black and green color, and seeds make me wonder if these can be eaten fresh? really? I had been postponing to try and find out until the San Francisco trip. I ordered fig salad at Waterbar. It was divine. The figs were fresh and the sauce was perfectly sweet. Since then, I've known the next dish of figs I ate would be served at my dining table soon. I went to a market and didn't miss the opportunity to pick some. I was excited to get my hands on them. Since it's new to me, I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to bake, preserve, or leave it as is. Thanks to awesome bloggers giving me an idea on what to do with my new baby. Here are some ideas you can try.

Fig Salad at Waterbar

Fresh Fig Bars with Bittersweet Chocolate Chuck Brandy from Patty's Food

Rosemary Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs with Prosciutto from BunkyCooks

Honey Spice Fig Cookies from Anecdotes and Apple Cores

There are other blogs I've seen too but I lost track of them. I'm sure you can find it easily on this blogosphear. It's amazing, isn' it? The technology we have nowadays....

I decided to keep a beauty for its taste as is and go with a fresh version. I had mascarpone left from the catfish and black beans dish (inspired by Lazaro). I like the creaminess of it and remembered from a cooking class that goat cheese mixed with a little cream tasted good. Therefore, I mixed mascarpone with a little cream as well - just to dilute it, and added just a touch of powdered sugar. Then you squeeze it to the middle of cut fresh figs. Drizzle with honey balsamic vinegar reduction. It's a food-gasm for sure (is it PG-13?!) Oops. I meant it tasted terrific. Although Keith didn't like it that much because of the creaminess, I did not care. I finished them myself and they left me happy.

I don't really have a recipe for this and probably can't post anywhere else, but I will try to provide measurements. I feel silly posting this but at least I share what is good right? (wink). You mix cheese with cream and sugar to your desire of creaminess and sweetness. Top it with chopped pistachio. Then, drizzle balsamic mixture on top. That's it. It's good. Try it. Period.

This is easy and tasty - perfect for easy Friday!

Fresh Black Mission Figs

Mascarpone Stuffed Fresh Figs and Honey Balsamic Vinegar
Yield: about 16 figs

Ingredients:
1 pint of fresh figs
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 tbs heavy cream (adjust to your preference)
Powered sugar ( add 1 tsp interval until it reaches your desire of sweetness, or you can omit it)
Chopped pistachio for garnish
Orange zest (optional)

Honey Balsamic Reduction:
6 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs honey
1-2 drop orange extract (optional)

Directions:

• Cut top tip of figs, then quarter it but not all the way so that it can hold mascarpone mixture.
• Heat up a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add balsamic, honey, and orange extract. Bring it to boil, then lower it to low heat. Simmer it until it reduces by 1/3. Remove from heat and let it cool. It should get thicker.
• Scoop mascarpone mixture to a pastry bag. If you don't have it, you can use a zip lock bag and cut a tip off.
• Squeeze the mixture right in the middle. Top with chopped pistachio and orange zest.
• Drizzle honey balsamic on each filled fig and on the side.
• Enjoy!

Quarter it but not all the way through