order up!

So what to have for lunch. I knew I wanted to use up those remaining figs before they shriveled up and ended up in the compost pile. After giving some thought to what would go well with the figs, I decided on some thinly sliced salty prosciutto, with maybe a little Burrata cheese, that lovely fresh mozzarella filled with mascarpone. Burratas’ outer bite is soft and springy while the filling melts in your mouth. This luscious, creamy cheese has a hint of sweetness-the ultimate little surprise package. I also had a jar of an organic Adriatic fig spread in the fridge. It is an outrageously rich preserve that pairs beautifully with many things including pears, blue cheese and walnuts or even fresh goat cheese or aged Manchego, but thought it would go very well with figs (fresh or dried) as well.

The final conclusion, a Panini made from a fresh farmers loaf I get from a local German bakery. I added a drizzle of olive oil to moisten each slice of bread. Put a touch of the fig spread on one slice, and then spread out a generous layer of prosciutto. I hand-tore the Burrata and laid that over the top of the prosciutto then sliced a couple of figs to top it all off.

If you don’t have a Panini press you can make do with a regular skillet and weight it down with another skillet or even a brick wrapped in foil works as well. Cook until cheese melts and the outside is a lovely golden color.



Enjoy!
Shannon

the conclusion

Today I stumbled upon a few precious baskets of figs at my local market. It is definitely the tail end of the season for these lovely fruits, so I was happy to see them.

Figs grow best and produce the best quality fruit in Mediterranean and dryer warm-temperate climates, but are also grown in the Northwest as well. In Southern California the Brown Turkey cultivar is most common. Its’ skin is a purplish brown, and the flesh is a pinkish amber. The matured fruit has a tough peel, often cracking upon ripeness, and exposing the pulp beneath. The interior has a white inner rind containing a seed mass bound with jelly-like flesh. The edible seeds are numerous and generally hollow, unless pollinated. Pollinated seeds provide the characteristic nutty taste of dried figs.
Figs must be allowed to ripen fully on the tree before they are picked. They will not ripen if picked when immature. A ripe fruit will be slightly soft and starting to bend at the neck.
Fresh figs do not keep well and can be stored in the refrigerator for only 2 - 3 days, so enjoy them quickly.

whack!

Well it hit me…inspiration that is. Those purple, egg shaped wrinkly (and getting more wrinkled by the day) passion fruit have been waiting for me to get inspired so that I could incorporate them into something sublime.

Thankfully, I stumbled across this recipe from an Australian publication that I get online. When I came upon the recipe for Passion fruit yo-yos with white chocolate and passion fruit ganache I knew that was it. Heck, who doesn’t want to eat something called a yo-yo, especially when it’s a cookie? The recipe is from a very talented Australian food stylist Emma Knowles. I had to fiddle with the measurements a bit, since they are in grams, but I think I got them pretty close (thanks to gourmet sleuth)

The sweet, tart flavor that comes from the passion fruit puree and white chocolate together is heaven. The cookie itself almost melts in your mouth, since it uses both flour and cornstarch as the base along with quite a bit of butter.

So head on out to your farmers’ market and get those passion fruit while their still here, and see what inspiration might hit you with these little beauties.

Enjoy!
Shannon



Passion fruit yo-yos with white chocolate and passion fruit ganache
Recipe adapted from Emma Knowles

Ingredients
yo-yos
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup passion fruit puree (see note)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
White chocolate and passion fruit ganache
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup passion fruit puree (see note)
2 pieces lemon rind, removed with a peeler (avoid the white pith)
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

1. For ganache, combine cream, juice and rind in a saucepan and bring just to the boil over medium-high heat. Place chocolate in a bowl, strain over hot cream mixture, whisk until smooth and refrigerate for 4 hours or until thick.

2. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, add juice and combine. Add flour and cornstarch and mix until just combined, then turn onto a floured surface, form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Preheat over to 350°F. Roll out pastry to ¼ inch thick and using a 1 ½ inch diameter cutter, cut rounds from pastry and place on parchment paper lined oven trays. Press scraps into a ball, re-roll and repeat. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just golden, cool on trays for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Spread half of the biscuits with a teaspoon each of ganache, sandwich with remaining biscuits and stand until set. Yo-yos will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container or up to a month in the freezer.

Note To make passion fruit puree, blend passion fruit pulp in a food processor to crack seeds, and then strain through a fine sieve. Twelve passion fruit yield about 1 cup of juice.

Makes 24