Strange Fruit

Project: Fresh Figs with Raspberries and Rose Cream (Readers Digest Low-Calorie Cookbook)

There are many ingredients that are just not reliably available in Northern Ontario. It’s a fact of life. So, when I was visiting Toronto in September, my number one destination was Kensington Market. My primary goal was a tube of harissa, but I ended up buying a couple of totally superfluous spices (black cardamom, anyone?), some turbinado sugar (probably available here…oh well), and some really nice, ripe, fresh figs.

8 small ripe juicy figs 4 large fresh fig leaves (optional) 1 3/4 cups fresh raspberries fresh mint leaves, to decorate 7 tablespoons cultured crème fraîche 2 tsp raspberry jam finely grated zest of 1 lime 1 to 2 tbsp rose water, or to taste

Now, problem #1 is that I totally forgot to buy crème fraîche when I was at Kensington. So I tried to make it. This involves cooking cream and adding cultured buttermilk, then letting the culture do its job to thicken things up. This tactic didn’t work and I have henceforth resolved to either buy crème fraîche whenever I can get my hands on it, or just replace it with whipped cream. Nyeah.

To make the rose cream, place the crème fraîche in a bowl and beat in he raspberry jam and lime zest until the jam is well distributed. Add the rose water and stir to mix in. Transfer to a pretty serving bowl.

Cut each of the figs vertically into quarters without cutting all the way through, so they each remain whole. Arrange the fig leaves , if using, on 4 plates and place 2 figs on each plate.

So, obviously I didn’t pay much heed to the cutting directions. I’m not sure figs taste better when left partially intact…plus I’d already ruined the crème fraîche…

Spoon a dollop of the rose cream into the middle of each fig; serve the remaining cream separately. Scatter the raspberries over the plates and decorate with the mint leaves.

Et voilà! Yeah…I kind of forewent all the garnishes. Because I didn’t read the recipe properly. I thought these were pretty tasty. My other taste tester was, I think, a little trepidatious (yeah, I think I made that word up) about a big plate of strange fruit. Mixed reviews, anyway.