Figgy season

I've never eaten a fig before until this year. Can you believe it? In fact, there are so many new things that's just waiting for me to give 'em a try. Scouring for food related matters online has really widened my perspective on how much products are available in the markets. Tons and tons apparently. 

Anyway, I've often seen people mentioning figs, and using them in their baked goods, most often in galettes or jams. Figs are also reported to be very sweet, and some people like to mix it with salty stuff such as prosciutto/parma ham and cheese for a salty-sweet appetiser. There was a small article in the papers that it was figs season now, and that the figs were going to be available for only a short season. My eyes arrowed straight on the words "figs" and "in season". I was on a mission to get my hands on those figs!

It took me three supermarkets, but I finally found those elusive figs from the supermarket nearest my house, the NTUC Finest outlet at Bukit Timah. When I saw them on the fruit aisle, I squealed loudly and dashed towards the aisle, trolley in hands.Yeah, I know. Sometimes, I think my own behaviour mystify myself. Snorts.

 Black mission figs

 Figs, parma ham, brie cheese and walnuts salad with a honey dressing

We decided to use the figs for savouries instead of sweets. So, for a weekday lunch, I packed a salad for Sis and I to bring to work. On a bed of salad leaves (choose your favourite - I tore up some butterhead lettuce), scatter a handful of chopped toasted walnuts. Quarter the figs, and wrap with parma ham. Place them atop the salad bed. Add your favourite cheese (i.e goat, mozarella, whatever floats your boat - I added brie) and drizzle some honey and water dressing. 

When I had the salad during lunch, the first thought was - omg, the figs are really sweet by itself! The parma ham (which I normally don't really like), complemented the sweet figs really well. A forkful of the ham-ified fig, coupled with the soft melty brie, and crunchy walnuts really hits the spot. But one gripe - the honey dressing. As the figs were already sweet, I felt that the addition of honey made the meal more of a dessert than a  lunch.

 Grilled figs; Figs on crackers

As we had grabbed two boxes (of four figs each), we had some leftover figs waiting for us during the weekend. Figs tend to ripen fast, and I could tell after cutting them that they weren't very "fresh" looking. So we fired up a pan, and grilled them slightly. We laid out some crackers, placed the grilled figs atop, and some brie (love that good stuff) and drizzled pure honey (oh heck, it's what everyone use to pair figs with so I'm not gonna break the tradition) over it. Delish. A pity our crackers were a little stale, we should have toasted them first. :)

Love trying out new stuff, so yay, I can finally cross another item of my to-try list! :) Now, if only I can find rhubarb in Singapore...

Mmmmmmmm.