Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Figs!

People in my life often find it amusing how I can be so easily excited by food or kitchen items...I mean excited to the point that I can't stop chattering on and on about it even though their eyes glaze over and they haven't a clue what I'm on about...

Before I get into what happened to me recently let me give you a little bit of background information and this might help you understand my glee...

Over the past few years I have come across many recipes using fresh figs...grilled figs tossed in a salad...figs paired with prosciutto and brie or Gorgonzola...stuffed figs and more...the only problem with reading all these recipes is the fact that I had never tried a fresh fig...and to make matters worse in Malaysia I have never been able to come across figs at any grocery store whether it be a specialty store or an organic one or one targeted to expats...I think the whole idea of not being able to get a hold of it amplified my want for it. It became a sort of forbidden fruit in my mind and I just HAD to have it! Soon enough this whole idea of what a fig would taste like became an obsession and every time I went to the grocery store I would browse the fruit and vegetable aisle just in hopes that maybe one day they would have it.
So now on to the scene that took place recently on a trip to the grocery store:
I walked over to the specialty fruit aisle to grab a package of strawberries and even though I was pessimistic I decided to look at the other fruits available in that section just to see if there was any chance sighting of a fig. And suddenly I saw them, 6 figs sitting in a little package. At first I couldn't believe it....I glanced over at the fruit labels reading and re-reading to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. The minute it clicked in my head that these were indeed figs I immediately picked them up and bounced over to R to share my excitement.
Me: Baby! Guess what I found!! Figs!!! Can you believe it???
R: Oh ok that's nice love
Me: No! You don't get it! I've been looking for figs all over...I didn't think I would ever be able to find them in Malaysia...I've been searching for them in every grocery store every time I go shopping...
R: Ok well it's good that you've found them now
Me: I can't believe I've finally found figs! Do you know what I can do with these? Oh I wonder how they taste...it's so exciting...all the possibilities! *I pull my little bag of figs close and I caress them*
R: *Gives me a very strange look and is probably thinking to himself - I'm dating a psycho!*
Me: We have to go home now...I need to see what I can do with these figs...Oh! I have some Camembert cheese at home...maybe I can grill a fig and we can eat it with the cheese...or maybe I can put it on a gourmet pizza...
R: Ok lets just head home now and you can figure it out when we get back...
Me: *Dreamy Sigh* Figs...
So by now I'm sure the suspense is killing you! What DID she do with her figs? Well last night I decided to make my very own gourmet pizza fusing salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavours together...it was very tasty but I think next time I may try an arugula pesto instead of the mango chutney as a base...I felt that the sweet taste was more overpowering than the rest of the flavours.
Figalicious Mini Pizzas
1 Ripe Fig sliced thinly
5 Slices of Prosciutto diced
Spicy Mango Chutney
4 Wholewheat Pita Breads
Thin slices of Camembert/Brie/Mozzarella (Enough to toss a few on each individual pizza)
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 150C
Step 2: Lay the pita breads out on a baking tray and spread each with the Mango Chutney
Step 3: Add the prosciutto, figs and cheese to each pita and put the tray in the oven
Step 4: Bake till the edge of the pita bread begins to brown and the cheese has melted
Step 5: ENJOY!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

But they're so expensive here in Malaysia! :-( I had my first taste when I was holidaying in the UK and have been in love with fresh figs ever since. So cheap there too! (And I totally understand your attachment with food...hehe)

Chefspiration said...

Yeah they are super expensive...which is why it won't be something I regularly enjoy...ah well...

Anonymous said...

hehe I can go on about figs too-til people's eyes glaze over and they start looking elsewhere for help :P I'm so excited about fig season coming up and love this recipe idea!

Chefspiration said...

hehehe...I now understand why people go on and on about figs...they're sooo delicious...

LianneK said...

I came across fresh figs in cold storage IPC once, but was totally blowned away with its exorbitant price. besides, it was not really fresh hence did not pick it up. yours looked really fresh. how did it taste?

阿愉 FISH said...

may i know where did you get it?