Figs in Vanilla Syrup

My wonderful supply of figs is coming to an end. After making fig and apple chutney, fig ginger and walnut chutney and dehydrating some, my final way of using them is to use a recipe of a friend's mum. She and her husband run a bed and breakfast and have the most wonderful garden. She makes a huge range of pickles, chutneys and preserves which I have been lucky to have been the recipient of in the past.

This is a recipe that make me glad the rest of my family are not that keen on figs! These jars of yumminess will be mine for a special treat when I need it!

Thank goodness for the newspaper in the oven, they overflowed a bit. I think this was because I filled them too much.

Figs in Vanilla Syrup 8-9 firm fresh figs, 100g. sugar, 
400mls water, 
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, 
1/2 teasp citric acid. 

1. Pack figs in warm (500g) jar. 

2. Boil together for 1 minute, sugar, water & vanilla pod. 

3. Remove Vanilla pod & scrape out seeds, stir back in with citric acid. Tuck bean down side of jar. 

4. Pour syrup over figs and cover almost to brim with syrup (add boiling water if necessary) & seal the jar. Stand on several thicknesses of folded newspaper in 150 deg oven and bake 40 minutes until syrup turns a delicate pink & figs are just starting to rise in the jar. 

5. Using oven gloves, transfer jars to a wooden board, tighten the lids and leave to seal & cool.

Fig, Ginger and Walnut Chutney

A couple of years ago I was given the most amazing fig chutney. I think it had walnuts in it and possibly ginger. I asked the person who made it for the recipe but the recipe she gave me didn't match what I had in my memory.
I hunted and hunted for a recipe that included figs, ginger and walnuts but couldn't find one so I've made some changes and additions to a basic recipe based on those I have read and the finished chutney is amazing!

If you have got lots of figs to use, check out these two recipes too...Fig and Apple Chutney and Figs Poached in Vanilla

Fig, Ginger and Walnut Chutney

Ingredients

• 15 fresh figs / two bags of dried figs
• 150ml balsamic vinegar
• 100ml white wine vinegar
• 300g soft brown sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 red onions finely sliced
• 1 chilli deseeded and cut into slithers ( optional)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 10g fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste.
• 1/2 cup of chopped crystallised ginger
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method

Finely slice the red onion, peel and grate the ginger, remove the stalk from the figs and cut them into quarters. Zest and juice the lemon. Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan over a medium heat and then put in the red onion. Fry the onion for 5 minutes until it has slightly softened and turned translucent, it should be slightly caramelised.

Add all the other ingredients to the pan except for the figs, then season with salt & pepper to taste. Bring it up to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for a further 30 minutes. Once the liquid has reduced to a syrup add in the figs, crystallised ginger and walnuts and cook it for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the chutney into jars, seal and allow to cool.The Chutney can be kept unopened for up to six weeks and opened as long as it’s refrigerated for 3 weeks. 

Fig and Apple Chutney

Figs seem to be a bit of an acquired taste. I used to hate the tiny crunchy seeds but just love them now. I've got a fig tree growing in a bonsai bag but it probably needs a bit more care and attention if it is going to produce more than a few figs each year.
I was able to order a couple of bags of figs with my Oooby box delivery recently and then had a mystery bag left for me by a family member, who followed that up with another bag.
So I have been frantically looking for fig preserving recipes.

This one was one I resorted to prior to a supermarket visit when I didn't have much in the house to cook with. It is nice, but quite sweet.
Of course I had to add things to it...not sure why I can't stop messing with recipes but my additions improved it I think.

I also used the dehydrator to dry some half figs. Not the best result but I think I can still use them.

Fig and Apple Chutney

500 g of fresh figs 
2 apples 
1 1/4 cup (150g) of sugar 
1 / 2 cup cider vinegar (or raspberry) 
1 / 2 teaspoon cinnamon (or allspice) 
1 pinch of Espelette pepper (I used chilli flakes...about a quarter of a tsp)
Salt and pepper 

I also added 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

COOKING INSTRUCTION FOR THE FIGS AND APPLE CHUTNEY 
Clean the figs. Cut them into quarters. Peel and cut apples into cubes. 
Put everything in a saucepan with the sugar, vinegar, spices and a pinch of salt. 
Heat until boiling. Reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. 
Spread the hot chutney in jars which have been boiled first. 
Close immediately. Turn the jars until completely cooled. 
Wait 48 hours before consuming. 

The fig chutney jars can be stored in the refrigerator. 

Easy Tiramisu

Gordon Ramsay had a series that ran on a Saturday night where you were challenged to cook a 3 course meal at the same time as people in his TV studio and at home. While it sounds really sad, I loved spending my Saturday nights doing this. I'd get my ingredients ready and do all the preparation I could ready to go. John (my husband) did the simple Tiramisu from this series and it became one of his somewhat limited repertoire of dishes.
I needed a dessert that was quick and reasonably simple and that my little kitchen hand (Isabella 6 years old) could help me with as part of a special meal and this seemed like a great idea. The sponge finger biscuits are a favourite of my kitchen hand so this was a winner all around.
We usually use martini glasses to serve this dish but used a timber this time. The martini glasses are much better!

Gordon Ramsay’s Tiramisu

Serves 4
Ingredients:

* 250g mascarpone
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 3 tbsp Marsala, brandy or Tia Maria
* 150ml strong coffee or espresso, cooled to room temperature
* 150ml single cream
* 4 tbsp icing sugar
* 16 sponge fingers (savoiardi)
* Frozen bar of 70% of chocolate bar
* Cocoa powder, to dust

Method: How to make easy tiramisu

1. Whisk the mascarpone with the vanilla and Marsala and 50ml coffee, until everything is thoroughly mixed together. Whisk the cream with the icing sugar until smooth, then fold in the mascarpone mix

2. Pour the remaining coffee into a bowl (sweeten with more icing sugar if you like). Take one sponge finger at a time and dip it in to the coffee. Set it to one side and continue with the remaining biscuits

3. Line 4 serving glasses with 4 sponge fingers, breaking them in half if you need to. Spoon the mascarpone mix in until you reach the top of the glass. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

4. Remove the tiramisu from the fridge. Take the frozen chocolate bar and grate a little chocolate over the top of each Tiramisu. Finally, dust with sifted cocoa powder to serve.

Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Hollandaise Dressing

My Ooooby box several months ago came with little purple Maori potatoes. I kept them and sprouted them ready to grow my own. While these and my jersey bennies were not all that successful I did manage to get this salad out of them along with tomatoes from my garden.
A great alternative to my usual potato salad.














Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Hollandaise Dressing

Ingredients

15-20 small new potatoes

15-20 red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 large handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped

10 black olives

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Horseradish Dressing

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon prepared horesradish

Instructions

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan with just enough cold salted water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.  Test with a small sharp knife. If the potatoes fall off the knife, they’re done.
2. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. To make the horseradish dressing, whisk the egg yolks, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt.   Slowly drizzle in the canola oil while whisking nonstop until the mixture begins to emulsify.  Continue to whisk in the oil until mixture has achieved a thick, mayonnaise-like consistency. Whisk in the horseradish and, if necessary, season with additional salt and pepper.
4. Combine the tomatoes, olives
   and basil in a large serving bowl.
5. When the potatoes have cooled, transfer them to the serving bowl.  Pour the dressing over them and toss with your hands to coat with the aioli.  Serve.

Smashed Baked Potatoes

I've seen this recipe a few time and decided to give it a go.
Yum! Just yum! I'll be making these again.
I might substitute the oil with butter.
I cooked the potatoes well in advance and cooked them at the same time as a de-boned roast chicken.













Smashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
4-6 Potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed (or more if you want them really garlicky)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
• In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes; drain well.
• Place potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a potato masher or fork, carefully smash the potatoes until flattened but still in one piece. Top with olive oil, garlic and thyme.
• Place into oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
• Serve immediately.

Baked Fish Parcels

I feel like a bit of a fraud writing this in because it is so easy, but I had a request for it to be included so here goes...
This is one of those dishes that can be prepared in advance and is pretty healthy - depending on what you add to it to flavour it. Because the fish is sealed within baking paper it is steamed to cook it.



This is simply fish fillets baked in baking paper. I do this as individual servings to cater for little people's tastes or as a dish for the family.

It's as simple as laying the fish on the paper (a big piece with lots of overlapping paper to fold up) then adding things to flavour it.


This could include a combination of some of the following:

• a slug of white wine
• little knobs of butter
• soft green herbs such as basil, parsley, chives 
• tomatoes
• capsicum
• mushrooms
• spring onion
• chilli sauce
• lemon or lime
• cheese

Twist up the sides of the paper so the fish steams then put in the oven.
A single serve will cook in about 8 minutes at 180 degrees C
A family serving will need abut 15 minutes.

It's important to remember that the fish will keep cooking after it comes out of the oven, so its ok to take it out when its not quite cooked through.

Cheesy Tomato and Basil Pie

The gardens are producing a lot of tomatoes at the moment. Most of them have been dried in the dehydrator kindly given to us by my mother-in-law and then stored in olive oil for eating later.
This recipe looked good and seemed like a good weekend dinner with salad.

I had to mess with the recipe a bit. I added an egg to the cheesy topping and used the last of a couple of mayonnaise type dressings I had in the fridge (a feta and garlic mayo and some tartare sauce).

The tomato and basil flavours came through well and it was really nice hot and pretty good cold too.
I think if I make it again I'll add a few other vegetables - capsicum, spring onion and maybe mushrooms.

My pastry could have down with more blind baking - I baked it until the top edges of the pie crust started browning. I might try totally covering the pasty with baking paper and cooking longer next time.

It is really important to get as much moisture out of the tomatoes as possible. I chopped them in the morning and stirred them occasionally throughout the day.

Cheesy Tomato and Basil Pie

Ingredients

• 4-5 fresh tomatoes, cut in half horizontally and squeezed to remove seeds and excess juices, and chopped into 1-inch pieces (yield approximately 3 cups)I didn't take out the seeds but a lot trained away.
• Salt
• 1 partially-baked 9-inch pie crust (see instructions here)
• ½ cup finely diced sweet onion (about ½ a medium onion)
• ¼ cup finely sliced basil (8 leaves)
• 2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (or other cheeses of your choice)
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chilli sauce (or other hot sauce of your choice – adjust amount according to your tastes)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. About 4-6 hours before baking (or overnight), place the diced tomatoes in a sieve or strainer over a bowl and sprinkle generously with the salt. Stir to combine. Allow the tomatoes to drain of their liquid, stirring occasionally and gently pressing down on the tomatoes (use a large spoon or a small flat bowl to press the tomatoes against the sieve), until the tomatoes are very well drained. Blot with a paper towel if necessary to remove extra moisture.
2. While the tomatoes are draining, pre-bake your pie crust. (See instructions here
3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
4. Spread the diced onion in the bottom of the pie crust. Spread the well-drained tomatoes over the onions, then sprinkle the basil over the tomatoes.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the grated cheese, mayonnaise, sriracha and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix to combine (the mixture will be very thick). Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes in the pie plate.
6. Bake in the oven until golden brown and bubbly – approximately 25-35 minutes.
7. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to firm up before serving.