Orange Poached Figs Recipes

ORANGE POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, pepper and vanilla bean.
• Place an inverted 3-cup souffle dish in the center of a 10-inch pie plate to create a ring mold. Pour the liquid mixture into the dish.
• Arrange the figs in a circle, leaning them against the souffle dish with the stems facing up. Invert a second 10-inch pie plate over the first to form a cover.
• Cook at 100 percent power in a high-power oven for 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Let figs cool before serving warm, or let cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream or heavy cream.

OVEN-POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put figs in an 8-inch square ceramic or glass baking dish. Pour port, wine, honey, and orange juice over figs. Submerge remaining ingredients in the liquid around figs. Cover dish with foil, and bake 1 hour.
• Remove foil; continue to bake 45 minutes more, basting 2 or 3 times with accumulated juices. Let cool completely, turning figs occasionally to keep moist.
• Transfer figs to a plate. Pour liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for fig vinaigrette. Discard solids. Figs can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

FIGS POACHED IN PORT

Steps:

• Combine the port sugar, vanilla pods and seeds, cinnamon, orange peel and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer until the liquid has the consistency of a light syrup, about 20 minutes. You will have about 1 1/2 cups of syrup. Add the figs and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the figs in the syrup. Serve the figs in a bowl with their juices spooned over.

POACHED FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, lemon zest, 1 1/2 cups water, thyme, and vanilla bean in a non-reactive medium size saucepan and heat to simmer, let simmer gently for 5 minutes.
• Add figs to the syrup and continue to simmer until the figs are tender about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let figs cool about 10 minutes in the syrup. Remove and discard the thyme.
• Divide the figs among four glasses or bowls and spoon the warm syrup over the fruits. Garnish with Creme Fraiche and fresh thyme sprigs.

POACHED FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Spread the sugar in the bottom of the pan, and pour in 1/2 cup water and the lemon juice. Set the figs in the pan, stem up, in one layer. Nestle the strips of lemon zest and the bay leaves in between the figs.
• Set the pan over low heat, and cook slowly until the sugar melts and the figs release their juices. As the juices rise in the pan, gradually raise the heat to keep them bubbling (and "galloping"). When the figs are soft and the liquid level comes halfway up their sides, in 30 minutes or more, turn off the heat, and let the figs rest in the pan for an hour or longer, to reabsorb some of the juices.
• Slowly heat the figs and juices until they're bubbling again, and cook for 30 minutes or so, until the figs are very soft (but still intact) and the juices have become thick and syrupy.
• Let the figs cool before serving. Arrange them in a serving dish if you like, with the syrup all around. Enjoy the fruit and syrup on their own, or atop vanilla ice cream, or with a soft, creamy cheese such as Taleggio or Robiola.

OVEN-POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325° F. Put the figs in an 8-inch-square ceramic or glass baking dish. Pour the port, wine, honey, and orange juice over the figs. Submerge the remaining ingredients in the liquid around the figs. Cover the dish with foil, and bake 1 hour.
• Remove the foil; continue to bake 45 minutes more, basting 2 or 3 times with the accumulated juices. Let cool completely, turning the figs occasionally to keep them moist.
• Transfer the figs to a plate. Pour the liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for the fig vinaigrette (recipe above). Discard the solids. The figs can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

FRENCH ORANGE POACHED PEARS (POIRE AVEC ORANGE)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the orange juice, brown and white sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Place pears into the syrup, and cover; simmer pears for 1 hour and 15 minutes, spooning sauce over pears every 10 minutes, and turning pears over twice during cooking time.
• Transfer pears to individual serving dishes. Continue cooking the syrup, stirring often, until thickened, about 15 more minutes, then mix in the walnuts. Pour the sauce over the pears to serve.

POACHED FIGS WITH FRESH RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat 3 cups water, the sugar, honey, and orange strips and grated zest in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar and honey have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add figs; cover, and simmer until figs are just tender, about 20 minutes. Gently transfer figs to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Raise heat to medium-high, and bring syrup to a boil. Cook until syrup has reduced and thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Return figs to pan, and gently toss with syrup to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup ricotta into each of 4 bowls. Divide figs among bowls, and drizzle with syrup. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

FIG AND ORANGE COMPOTE

Steps:

• Using a zester, remove the zest of one orange in long strips.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the pith from all the oranges, so the flesh is fully exposed. Slice the oranges crosswise into sections 1/4 inch thick. Remove seeds, and place the slices in a bowl.
• Blend the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir well to dissolve the sugar completely. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or to a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat, and add grenadine syrup. Blend well. Set aside.
• Place 4 figs snugly in a small saucepan. Pour just enough syrup over them so they are 90 percent covered. Add the strips of orange zest. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove and refrigerate.
• Place the 4 cooked figs over the marinating orange slices in the bowl. Pour over the cooking liquid and 4 tablespoons of Grand Marnier. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
• Just before serving, slice the 4 uncooked figs lengthwise into four sections.
• Distribute the chilled orange slices and their juices over 4 chilled plates. Lay four uncooked fig quarters over each serving, and top with a poached fig. Sprinkle with the 2 remaining tablespoons of Grand Marnier, and garnish each with a sprig of mint.