Fig Jam
A coworker brought me some figs from the trees in her yard, so I made some jam with the ones I couldn't eat fast enough. It was an epicurious recipe, but I didn't have any lemon juice, so I used balsamic vinegar (I know it sounds kind of gross, but it turned out pretty good). It was basically sugar and water boiled together until the sugar was dissolved, then I added quartered figs, a splash of the vinegar and some cloves and cardamom pods. Once the figs were soft and the liquid was thick, I stirred in some toasted sesame seeds, which also sound weird but give the jam a nice toasty taste. The first day this was good, but it got even better the next few days, almost perfumed. I ate it with goat cheese on a toasted baguette.
Comments
Mmm, your jam sound terrific!
We used to have 2 fig trees in our backyard where I grew up in Brooklyn. More figs than we ever knew what to do with, but still, we managed. One of the ways we used to eat them was cold, sliced and drizzled with balsamic. So good.
Posted by: Deb | October 5, 2003 05:22 AM
it sounds almost chutney-ish. i had something like it on monday on my little holiday, accompanying duckliverpaté and toast as a starter. it was a set menu, and i might not have let my choice fall on this, but the combination was lovely; the smoothness of the paté and the fruity spicy tartness of the conserves! i can just imagine the feast it would be with chèvre..
Posted by: lynn | October 5, 2003 12:41 PM
I can't imagine having something growing in my yard. (I'm finding it kind of hard to imagine having a yard right now.) So I'm always kind of jealous when coworkers bring in the fruits of their land. Unless, of course, I get to take some home with me.
I like figs as a sweet-ish counterpoint to something smooth and savory - a sharp contrast to all that richness. Paté and figs sounds like a great idea. Not a big paté fan, and really don't like foie gras, but I think it's mainly because I haven't paired it with the right things.
Posted by: Kim | October 6, 2003 11:40 AM