Fancy Figs

I love figs. I think they are the one of the most beautiful sensual lavish fruits that exist. A pure delight for me. If Eve was tempted by an apple, then I wouldn't be able to resist a ripe juicy fig. Not only are they delicious, but they contain exquisite colours that one is literally eating with the eyes. And the smell, mmmm the smell! It is so peculiar, feminine, elegant and fresh. Figs are synonymous with excitement on many levels- and not too long ago, I was excited to do something with those figs that had been lying in the kitchen...before someone eats them all and they dissapear!

As for each time, I take a few minutes to observe every shelf, drawer and corner in the kitchen to see what ingredients are available to match up with these figs. I found some pistachios, dark chocolate, shortcut pastry, and ouh some fig jam! Perfect. But I needed to add that "odd" ingredient that I always love including in my recipes. Then I heard the tea closet calling for me... and there it was: rose buds! (rose buds we use in our tea or infusions). What on earth I was going to do with them, I had no clue, but I knew there was some potential!

Then the idea came when I was rolling out the shortcut pastry. Why not "flavour" the pastry? With the rose buds? I went ahead and tried that out, fingers crossed that it would taste good in the end result. Bud by bud, I cut off the stem section and carefully peeled each rose petal off. They were dry but of a beautiful colour and smelled wonderful, in that same elegant way as figs do. Once I had enough petals, I sprinkled them on the shortcut pastry and mixed them in.

With a cutter, I then formed circles in what was now a rose-shortcut pastry and in the oven they go. While those pink-spotted circles were baking, I cut the figs into quarters, chopped the pistachios and dark chocolate and pulled out the fig jam near me.

Ten minutes later...

I assembled everything together, as you can see below:

The shorcut pastry first, some fig jam brushed on top so that the fig could then "stick" on top. The last touch was the crushed pistachio-dark chocolate mix that gently rained down on the figs and painted them with some colour.

My tasters tested these out first, and I then followed (I always taste after the others have, out of habit). With every bite, I truly enjoyed the different flavours and textures that went together so well. I thought to myself these would be perfect with champagne for a fancy aperitif. Something to look forward to.