Many Americans have a fixed image when they think of figs: sticky dried fruit stuffed inside a cakelike cookie to make - good ol' Fig Newtons.
Those lucky enough to have sampled a fresh fig while traveling in a Mediterranean country may have an entirely different image. Figs tend to evoke rhapsodic memories of that silky, plump exotic fruit eaten one perfect day in Italy - a taste that has nothing to do with Nabisco.
But now fresh figs are hit- ting mainstream America and changing the image of figs from the cookies stuffed into lunch boxes or treats from far-flung places to that succulent fruit you can buy down the street.
Fresh figs are appearing in chain supermarkets and being showcased on the Food Network. California growers report their shipments to stores have skyrocketed in the past four or five years. They even set up a Web site two years ago - www.calfreshfigs.com - because so many people were asking about fresh figs and recipes.
"It seems like the light bulb has come on," said George W. Kragie, president of Western Fresh Marketing, a Los Osos, Calif., company that represents fig growers. He attributes the spike in the fruit's popularity to celebrity chefs, such as Emeril Lagasse and Martha Stewart, featuring fresh figs.
When Kragie started his business in 1994, he was selling about 240,000 pounds of fresh figs a year. This year, he said, he is on track to sell 3.5 million pounds. "All the recipes and people talking about figs, it just kind of snowballed. It's feeding on itself," said Kragie, who sells to such stores as Giant Foods, Stop-and-Shop and Whole Foods Market. Prices range from $2.50 to $3.99 a pint at local stores.
At Whole Foods Market in Mount Washington, sales have doubled in the past year to 48 pints a day during the season, according to Moses Rivera, the produce manager.
For fig aficionados, it's a welcome trend.
"If you can get figs at the IGA in Kent, [Conn.], there must have been a revolution," said Maggie Stearns, author of The Hay Day Cookbook: Menus and Fresh Cooking Ideas From the Fabulous Hay Day Country Farm Markets (Atheneum, 1986, $12), which centers on cooking with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Stearns, like many cooks, says probably the best way to eat figs is right off the tree, or out of the box. They can be wrapped in prosciutto and grilled (you can also skip the grilling) or served with a dollop of mascarpone or creme fraiche. Just snap the small stem off. For a tasty dessert, dip the sliced side of fig halves in sugar and broil until sugar is bubbling, remove and serve with ice cream.
Their lush texture and rich, sweet taste always make an impression.
"They do make you think of sitting under a grape arbor, having prosciutto and a bottle of wine," Stearns said. "They are very ... mythic and luxurious."
Chefs say figs have a strong enough flavor to easily carry a leading role, but they also do well in the supporting cast.
At Le Bec-Fin, Philadelphia's premier French restaurant, executive chef Daniel Stern says that figs are perfect for sweet and savory combinations. Because of the fig's sweetness, it pairs well with the sharpness of blue or Roquefort cheese or the tartness of balsamic vinegar.
This summer, on the menu he had sauteed foie gras with fig-and-hazelnut compote and Roquefort-stuffed fig.
"For some people, dried figs is the only way they know them, and to see them fresh, it's like a totally different fruit," Stern said.
Fresh figs traditionally have a lightening-fast season - from June through August and then again in the early fall, ending around October. Figs ripen and dry on the tree so until the demand for the fresh fruit soared, most growers found it more profitable to simply sell the less-perishable dried figs.
Now California growers are trying to extend their production season by growing them in different climates throughout the state and experimenting with new varieties. Figs thrive in hot, dry conditions, so trees do best in California desert country around Fresno, where most of the figs come from. But trees are now planted all the way from Southern California to the Oregon border.
"People would get a season or two of fresh figs, and then they would go away," said grower Richard DeBenedetto, owner of the Fresno, Calif.-based DeBenedetto Orchards. "Soon we're going to be in a position where there will be figs on the shelf 12 months a year."
His sales have quadrupled in the past three years, to 1 million pounds.
"They look good, they taste good and they are good for you. That's a pretty good combination," DeBenedetto said.
While fresh figs may be a new American phenomenon, the fruit has a storied history that dates back centuries.
In the ancient Greek city of Attica, the city's ruler, Solon (639-559 B.C.), forbade the exportation of figs, saying that they must be preserved only for his people. Legend has it that Cleopatra killed herself by having a poisonous snake hidden in a bowl of fresh figs delivered to her jail cell.
There was even a fig at the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, the Bible says. "Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized they were naked; so they sowed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:7).
Maybe that irresistible fruit wasn't an apple after all.
Egg Fettuccine With Figs, Rosemary and Pancetta, Serves 4 as a main course
3 slices firm white sandwich bread
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided use)
salt and pepper
6 ounces sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary, or to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
12 figs, trimmed and cut in half
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice, or to taste
3/4 pound dried egg fettuccine
freshly grated parmesan
Tear bread into pieces and pulse in blender or food processor until reduced to coarse crumbs.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and then cook bread crumbs, stirring constantly, until golden-brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pour bread crumbs into a bowl.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon oil until hot but not smoking, and then cook pancetta, stirring, until golden-brown and crisp. Remove pancetta from pan with slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.
Add onion to the skillet, with the pancetta drippings, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring 1 minute. Stir in wine and boil until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Stir in broth, figs, parsley, half of the pancetta and lemon juice and remove from heat.
Cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, and then drain pasta in a colander.
Add fettuccine to fig mixture with 1/4 reserved cooking water and salt and pepper to taste. Heat over low heat, tossing gently, adding more cooking water if mixture becomes dry. Cook until heated through.
Serve pasta topped with bread crumbs, parmesan and remaining pancetta.
- Gourmet magazine
Grilled Pork and Fig Kebabs
Serves 4
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 clove garlic, minced
8 large fresh figs, halved
cooking spray
Cut the pork crosswise into 16 pieces. Mix together all other ingredients, except the figs, to make a marinade for the pork.
Put the pork and marinade in a glass or ceramic dish and chill, covered, for 30 minutes.
Thread four pieces of the pork on each kebab. On separate kebabs, thread four figs each lengthwise, with cut side facing down.
Coat grill rack or grill pan with cooking spray. Place pork on grill over medium-hot coals for 4 minutes, basting occasionally with reserved marinade.
Then add the figs with the cut side down, until they are heated through. (You may want to flip figs once or twice.)
Cook until pork is done, about another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Cooking Light magazine
Fresh Figs With Rosemary Goat Cheese
Serves 12
11 ounces soft, mild goat cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon honey
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound (about 15) fresh figs, black mission figs or brown turkey figs if you can find them; halved and little stems removed
In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients, except figs, until smooth. Mound goat-cheese mixture in center of platter. Place halved figs around the cheese. Serve with a cheese knife to spread the mixture on fig halves.
Rosemary goat cheese can be made a day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Gourmet magazine