Generous friends with a prolific fig tree gave us about three pounds of these green figs a few days ago. They're Americans who live just a few miles upriver from us. Walt made a tart using the few figs we got from our little tree, plus some of these. I set about candying the green figs to preserve them for the winter. They're really good with cheeses like goat and Roquefort, and especially with foie gras.
The way to confire or "candy" the figs is to cook them in a sugar syrup. Put them one layer deep in a wide, shallow pan. Cover them with sugar as on the left. Set them on a burner at medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes and let the sugar melt. Add just a few drops of water if you need to as the figs get hot and start to release some juice.
Then set the pan aside and let it cool. Leave it in a cool place for 24 hours — I set it outside on the terrace, well covered. Then the next day, put the figs back on the heat and let them come to the boil. Simmer them again for 10 minutes, let them cool, and leave them in a cool place for another 24 hours. When you re-heat them, they plump up noticeably from absorbing the sugar syrup. Don't throw the syrup away — it's figgy and delicious.
On the third day, plump the figs up again by putting them back on the heat to simmer for 10 more minutes. Let them cool for a while. Then arrange them on a sheet pan on a silicone pad or parchment paper. Set the pan in the freezer. On the fourth day, take them out of the freezer and transfer them to a plastic container or bags. You'll see that they don't freeze hard because of their sugar content, but they won't really stick together and you can keep them for a few months in the freezer. Take a few out every week or so and enjoy.
So the multiple reheatings infuse them with sugar. Interesting...I didn't know that cane sugar would liquify with just heat, but I guess it gets some moisture from the figs.
ReplyDeleteThey are attractive in their green state too.
There are (at least?) two kinds of figs, the green ones, as seen here, and the better known purple ones.
DeleteI didn't know this, thanks chm. Ken, the figs from your tree are different in color and shape...that tart in Walt's post looks pretty wonderful.
DeleteThe ones on our little tree are purple ones, but there aren't many of them. Maybe one day we'll get more. The green figs are good too. See Walt's recent post for photos of the two kinds of figs.
ReplyDeleteNow I have a taste for figs .. it has been a while since I have had one :)
ReplyDeleteFigs are plentiful in coastal N.C., including places like Morehead City and Ocracoke Island.
Deletegreen figs are not ripe are they? my favs are the brown turkey figs.....I didnt find any figs at the stands around here this summer....I do know that when my neighbor gave me some figs that were still on the greenish side, I could put them out in the sun & they would actually ripen.....the green ones here dont taste good at all so maybe yours are a different kind entirely....
ReplyDeleteThese figs are ripe. Some varieties of figs turn purple or brown when ripe, and other ripe figs stay green. Look at this page.
DeleteHere is another page about sweet, green ripe figs.
DeleteMy link above doesn't work. Maybe this one will. It says that these green figs are plumper than the brown ones.
DeleteThose figs are beautiful. I never knew there was such a thing as green figs. They must not be as sweet as the brown ones.
ReplyDeleteI think they are as sweet.
DeleteI don't know that I'll ever do this myself, but it is fascinating to me to read about it and see your pictures.
ReplyDeleteThe figues confites really are good with foie gras, which is a holiday staple here in France. They are also good with Roquefort cheese and goat cheeses.
DeleteThey look yummy.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, I had my shingles and flu shots. I have you to thank for the shingles vaccine. After you wrote about it a couple of months ago, I decided, at last, to ask about it and get vaccinated. My doctor was a bit surprised that I was asking. She had never administered it, yet, and when she looked it up, she saw that it was not recommended until we hit 70. I told her that I had a few friends, all younger than 70, who had gotten the shingles and that I wanted not to. Also, my mother had it and was left with a "runny nose" sniffle for the rest of her life. I didn't want that, either. So, thank you, Ken. I'm sorry you had to go through it for me to finally take action.
I'm glad you got the shingles vaccine. I wish I had done the same. My itching -- a red patch on my shoulder -- seems to have come back. Not the severe pain though -- thank goodness.
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