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| Photo by Steve Shanahan |
First published Canberra Times 2 May 2012.
Descending the ladder very carefully with a colander of late
harvest figs tucked precariously under my arm, I notice there are still a lot
of unripe figs left on the tree and some that have been half munched. Already
planning the next harvest, I dream of an early winter Italian style lunch dessert,
stuffed with chocolate, nuts and preserved in brandy.
I replace the netting, do a boundary check of the fig tree
and I believe it to be secure. The possums around here are pretty sneaky and I
wonder if they are watching, planning their night assault, while my guard
Spoodle snores under his fluffy doona, and doesn’t give a fig about guarding the
tree!
A number of today’s harvested figs are just verging on the
ripe side, and will be chopped and poached in star anise, cinnamon and pepper
to form a sauce. This will work well
with roasted figs and pre-made caramel and balsamic ice cream that is already languishing
in the freezer. The sharpness of the balsamic vinegar, balances perfectly with
the large, musky figs and will make a fine ending to our family lunch.
As it’s a special occasion, I decide to fancy up the dessert
by adding some honey flavoured wafers, known as Tuiles in France, that I curve
over a rolling pin while still warm, creating a little nest for the caramelised
figs to sit in. This is a simple and impressive technique and easily done ahead
of time.
The three components of this dessert can all be made
separately, in advance and can be used individually. If you choose to make only
the caramelised figs with the ice cream, or the ice cream with the wafers, the
flavours will still work well.
Serves 5 to 6 people
Balsamic Ice Cream
1 cup caster sugar
¼ cup good quality balsamic vinegar
6 egg yolks
2 cups milk
150ml double cream
200m good quality balsamic vinegar, extra
Spicy Syrup
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup of fresh orange juice
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
½ tspn cracked black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh figs (they can be a little unripe)
Wafers
85g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup icing sugar, sifted
grated zest of 2 lemons
½ cup honey
100g plain flour
50g rolled oats
12 -15 fresh figs, halved
icing sugar, for dusting
Ice Cream
Firstly, make the ice cream. You will need to prepare it at
least the day before you need it.
Combine the sugar and just enough water to cover in a small
saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, without stirring, until
the syrup becomes a light golden colour. Remove immediately from the heat and
carefully add the 60ml of balsamic vinegar. Return to the heat and stir until
smooth, then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate until cold.
In a large bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks. Put the milk
and cream in a large saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Whisk the hot milk
mixture into the egg yolks, then return to a clean saucepan over medium heat.
Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the custard
thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Do not let it boil, as it will
curdle. Strain through a fine sieve, then allow to cool to room temperature.
Put the extra 200ml of balsamic vinegar in a heavy-based
saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer
until it reduces to a syrup consistency. Remove from the heat and set aside to
cool.
Whisk the cold sugar toffee mixture into the custard.
Transfer to an ice cream machine and churn. Alternatively, transfer to a
shallow metal tray and freeze, whisking every couple of hours until creamy and
frozen.
When the ice cream is nearly frozen, gradually pour in the
reduced balsamic vinegar and stir through to create a rippled effect, using a
skewer of fork.
Wafers
Preheat the oven to 160C. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon
zest together in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and pale. Add the
honey and flour and beat until smooth.
Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Using a
spatula, smear 8 very thin layers of wafer mixture in an oval shape about 10 cm
long, then sprinkle with the rolled oats and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until
evenly golden coloured. I always make extra to allow for breakages.
Remove from the oven, working quickly, using a clean spatula,
carefully remove one wafer and shape it by placing over a rolling pin to curl.
If the wafers are too soft to remove, just wait a moment and they will set hard
enough to handle. If they set too quickly and aren’t quite the desired shape,
just return them to the oven for a moment and they will flatten out again. They
are incredibly resilient, although look very delicate.
Repeat the process, lining them up along the rolling pin.
Make sure the rolling pin does not roll. When the wafers have hardened remove
from the rolling pin and repeat the process for the remaining wafers. Returning
them to the oven to soften if needed. The wafers will keep for a few days in an
airtight container.
Spicy Syrup
Combine the sugar and just enough water to cover in a small
saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the
boil, without stirring, until the syrup becomes golden in colour. Immediately
remove from the heat and carefully add the orange juice. Add the chopped figs,
star anise, cinnamon and the cracked black pepper. Return the pan to the heat. Bring to the boil
and cook for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Strain through a fine sieve, squeezing through
as much of the liquid as possible, then set aside.
Figs
Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the figs cut side up, on a
baking paper lined tray. Dust liberally with icing sugar, then roast for 8
minutes, or until the figs have begun to caramelise and are golden.
To serve, place a curved wafer on each serving plate and
arrange two or three fig halves in the centre of each wafer. Drizzle the spicy
syrup over the figs and serve with 2 scoops of balsamic ice cream.
