Light, fresh fruit is the sweet of choice to round off summer meals. Here’s a fresh fig dessert for adults to savor, and one that will delight children too.
Figs come into Middle Eastern markets twice a year, in July and in September, but their seasons are always short. There are about 750 kinds of figs in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey and Iran. Read all about figs here. We rush to get some organic ones when they appear, and love eating them out of hand, savoring their subtle tones of vanilla and cinnamon and, well, figgyness. But for a treat, or for guests, we buy a boxful and prepare them in one of these two quick and easy ways.
Chilled Figs Drizzled with Frozen Arak
Figs drying on a tray in Lebanon
2 figs per individual serving (4 halves)
The title says it all. But words won’t prepare you for the surprising combination of sweet figs and anise flavor from the arak (like ouzo in Greece). Even people who don’t like arak like these figs.
- Put your bottle of arak (the Middle East’s favorite distilled spirit) in the freezer for an hour.
- Chill your figs for the same length of time.
- Split the figs in halves, arrange the halves on a platter, and drizzle them with the thick, semi-frozen arak – just a drizzle does it.
- Serve immediately.
Don’t have arak in the house? Try gin instead!
Baked Figs and Honey
2 figs per serving
- Split each fig in half.
- Drizzle each half with 1/2 teaspoon honey.
- Dust with cinnamon.
- Bake the figs for 1/2 hour at 350°F – 180°C.
- Top the baked halves with slightly sweetened whipped cream – serve either warm or cold.
More summertime recipes:
Shakshouka: Tunisian Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
