F is for Figs

This year Ramadan starts on 18th June and finishes on 17th July for Eid (my birthday!!). During this month working hours reduce, school hours are reduced and synced across the city (insert nightmare traffic).  The daylight hours in public are significantly quieter and the evenings after dark are one big party every night of this holy month.  I am looking forward to enjoying a few Iftar feasts with friends where hotels set up amazing tents and serve a huge banquet of traditional fare.

This week I decided something sweet was due in the alphabetical menu.  I love figs, fresh or dried, in sweet or savoury dishes.  Its commonly found in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, European and Mod Aus food.  They are a rich in fibre, minerals and of course taste.  Being so close to fig growing territory, we have access to all shapes and sizes of figs.  I found this big box of juicy Turkish figs last week.

F was tricky because I also love fennel, I love it freshly shaved in a salad, slowly braised with olives and fish.  Fennel seeds are also amazing and I use them quite often, specifically as a seasoning in slow roasted pork.  Its strong aniseed flavour is very recognisable but not overpowering.  I think it would have to be in my top 10 of spices.

Since I didn’t want either one to be omitted I thought about a fig cake with a spiced syrup.  Amongst my googling, one recipe stood out using both these ingredients.  This polenta based cake is probably one of the easiest cakes I have made and its results seem like it should be more complicated.  When its cooked, it need to sit for 20 minutes to set and cool.

It one of these cakes that you really can alter the flavour ingredients to suit your taste.  My flavours were Marsala, figs, fennel and honey and pine nuts – they all seemed like they should go in the same cake.  Other options would be orange or any other citrus, raisins, orange liquor (the original recipe used Grappa which is too much for me) and Rosemary or Thyme or Lavender would all be suitable herbs to add fragrance.

We enjoyed this cake a day later refrigerated and it was delicious, I think a big dollop of cream or creme fraiche would perfect served with a glass of Prosecco or Sauterne.  Yum.

F is for Figs

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

PS - Substitute liquor of your choice with orange juice for an alcohol free version. PPS - If you are not a fan of fennel seeds, just omit and it would still be tasty.

Author: Edwina Stuart

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 large egg yolks
• ½ cups caster sugar
• 1 big splodge of honey (maybe 2-3 tablespoons)
• 2 cups full fat milk
• ¼ cup Marsala
• ½ cup coarse polenta (not instant)
• A generous ½ cup of dried figs diced into 1 cm pieces. I used about 8 fat Turkish figs
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius.
2. Grease and line a cake tin about 20-24cm (I think 8 inch ish) - its quite a thin cake. Use a deep tart tin instead.
3. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and honey and Marsala until well mixed.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until it starts to bubble, but not boil.
5. Pour the milk over the eggs and sugar mixture, whisking quickly to combine.
6. Transfer this mixture back into the saucepan and whisk in the polenta over a medium heat.
7. Keep whisking until it starts to bubble, about 7 or 8 minutes and take off the heat
8. Fold through the figs, pine nuts and fennel seeds and transfer into cake tin.
9. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden and firm.
10. Cool in tin for at least 20 minutes and transfer to a plate and serve warm or cold.

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