Figs...

Late summer/early autumn is almost my favourite time of year for food. The bramble bushes are bursting with juicy blackberries better than ever from the long winter frost, the orchard branches are weighed down with clusters of tart apples and pears ready to be cooked and large, dark, sticky sweet figs are available (as opposed to the tasteless variety you get out of season). Our own shaded fig tree managed to yield more than ever i.e. 1 sole fantastically plump fig - which I admired for a long time before cutting and sharing. Whilst that was lovely it didn’t quite satisfy as you can imagine and happily my local fruit shop had piles of the large purple gems for 35p each so I swiped the lot. But what to do with them? Although they are delicious uncooked, with yoghurt and honey or parma ham and pecorino cheese, I felt the need to be a bit more adventurous. So I laid them on a simple frangipane tart and drizzled with honey so that they caramelised in the oven and then tried a savoury recipe: Ottolenghi’s marinated lamb cutlets with a fig, goats cheese and walnut salad. 

  

Fig frangipane tart (serves 12-14)

• For the sweet pastry tart shell (to line a 30cm loose bottomed tart case)
• Preheat the oven to 180˚C/Gas Mark 4
• Pulse 350g plain flour, a pinch of salt and 125g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add 100g icing sugar, then 3 large egg yolks and pulse until combined.
• Remove, form into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for an hour.
• Coarsely grate the pastry into the case and then press evenly into the sides and base. Prick the base with a fork and chill for ten minutes.
• Bake blind for 20 minutes, until very light brown. Cool.

For the frangipane filling

• Lower the oven temperature to 180˚C.
• Cream 200g unsalted butter at room temperature and 200g caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Mix in 200g ground almonds and two eggs.
• Spoon into the tart case. Slice 6 - 8 figs in half or in quarters and arrange on the top, pushing them down slightly. Drizzle with a little honey.
• Cook for 45mins or until the top is golden and the middle wobbles only slightly.
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Lamb cutlets with walnut, fig and goat’s cheese salad, by Ottolenghi (serves 4)

• Marinate 12 lamb cutlets (French trimmed which a bucher can do): combine with the chopped leaves from 6 thyme sprigs and 1 rosemary sprig, 2 garlic cloves, crushed and 6 tbsp olive oil. Massage into the meat and marinate for 4 hrs or overnight.
• For the sauce: Place 125ml freshly squeezed orange juice, 60ml red wine vinegar, 50g honey, 1 star anise and 1 cinnamon stick in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40mins until it has reduced by two thirds. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
• Toast 50g broken up walnuts in a frying pan for 5 mins then cool.
• Heat a griddle pan until smoking and cook the lamb for 3-4 mins on each side for a rare to medium cooked meat. Leave to rest for 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss together the walnuts, 20g mint leaves, 25g flat-leaf parsley (or if preferred, baby spinach and rocket), 100g goats cheese, crumbled and 2tbsp olive oil. Cut 4 figs into halves or quarters.
• To serve, put the cutlets on serving plates , pile the salad next to them and the figs alongside. Drizzle a scant tbsp of the sauce over the lamb and drizzle the rest over the figs and salad.