Picture the supernutritious but humble dried fig. They make a great snack, but what else to do with them?
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Pulling out a bag of figs from the pantry, I went looking for a good recipe to use them with and came across this idea for fig jam from Giada de Laurentiis. But being the meddling type, I changed it up a bit. Here's my recipe...
Ingredients:
1/2 C Bariani raw honey
1/4 C water
12 dried black mission figs or Turkish figs
3 T brandy
1/2 C hazelnuts, toasted (or walnuts)
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Directions:
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In a small saucepan, combine the honey, water, figs, and brandy over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Meanwhile toast and cool hazelnuts.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Pour into a food processor and add the hazelnuts. Process until smooth. Cool, then store tightly closed in refrigerator. Yields about 1 cup.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Pour into a food processor and add the hazelnuts. Process until smooth. Cool, then store tightly closed in refrigerator. Yields about 1 cup.
A few comments...
I made one tweak to the recipe, taking the processed sugar out and replacing it instead with Bariani honey. Compared to processed sugar, raw honey is infinitely superior. In addition to a rich, full flavor that white sugar simply can’t match, honey is full of flavonoids and antioxidants, and its natural blend of glucose and fructose help the body regulate blood sugar more efficiently. It can even be used as an antiseptic and antibacterial agent!
Note that the rule of thumb when substituting honey for sugar is to decrease the amount of liquid by 1/4 cup per cup of honey.
Not only are figs delicious, but they’re one of the richest plant sources of calcium and fiber. Dried figs are also incredibly high in copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, vitamin K, and many important flavonoids and polyphenols. They’re also fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free. What's not to love?
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So, what can you do with all this tasty fig jam? It's delicious on crackers, apple slices,  and it goes great with a cheese plate (pairs well with both a creamy brie or a salty bleu). You can easily spread it on bread, so what about an amond butter and fig sandwich? Why not indeed.Â
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Here's Giada's original recipe:
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1/2 C sugar
1/2 C water
12 dried black mission figs
3 T brandy or apple juice
1/2 C hazelnuts, toasted
1/2 C water
12 dried black mission figs
3 T brandy or apple juice
1/2 C hazelnuts, toasted
Original inspiring recipe from Giada de Laurentiis at Foodnetwork.com, found here:Â http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/fig-jam-recipe.html
