It's raining figs- hallelujah!

Imagine my delight when I saw fresh black mission figs at trader joes? I picked up a 1lb container, and when I saw they were only $4, I went back and got 2 more :) ... I couldn't help it! Luckily I had a few to play with even after eating a few right away.

I busted out one of the cookbooks I got for my birthday, The Frugal Foodie, to find a recipe for Chicken w/Fresh Figs & Wine Sauce. You can actually find the recipe on the authors' site Two Fat Als here. The cookbook has a great premise (gourmet cooking on a budget), and if this dish is any indication, it's a winner! I'm guessing lean pork or tofu would also work well with this sauce.

Chix w/Figs & Wine Sauce

Another dish I tried was for pan-seared salmon paired with a caramelized onion and fig sauce from recipezaar (click here for recipe). This was delicious, although very rich with the salmon and sweet sauce. It may have been the fact that I was a little heavy-handed with the balsamic, though, so I wouldn't hold it against the recipe ;)

Salmon w/Caramelized Onions & Figs

My last treat was inspired by this ice cream. I wanted to try a few different things, and I ended up with a concoction that almost tasted like fig cheesecake! I like the flavors better when it wasn't too hard (fresh from churning), so don't try to serve it completely frozen.

Fig Ice Cream

Fig Ice Cream
Recipe by Shannon, adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini


1 lb figs, trimmed and cut into quarters
1/4c water
1 lemon
~1/4c honey
75g greek yogurt
75g goat cheese
1/2T lemon juice

In medium saucepan, combine figs, 1/4c water and zest of 1/2 lemon. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Add honey, stir to combine and continue to cook uncovered until thickens to a jam-like consistency, stirring occasionally. Let cool completely.

In a food processor, puree fig mixture, yogurt, goat cheese, and lemon juice. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately, or store in freezer. Allow ice cream to soften a bit before serving.