Large dinner parties can be a tricky thing when you are on your own in the kitchen and still want to enjoy your guests. Careful planning and lots of advance preparation are the only way to succeed. This starter is so simple that you could be catering for a state banquet and still keep your cool: the essential thing is to get the main ingredient right.
And before you start rolling your eyes like a teenager reluctant to do the dishes (believe me, I know a thing or two about THAT!), give them a chance. If you have never tried figs fresh, they have nothing to do with the dried variety... just as dried banana or mango don't taste anything like the real thing or beef jerky doesn't taste like steak!
I never knew why some people dread figs so much until I was served a pretty bad specimen at a restaurant - it tasted like it had never seen a tree in its life, but was grown in a lab somewhere. If the taste of your figs is reminiscent of cardboard or concrete, you've got to find a new greengrocer!
Good figs are hard to come buy, they need to be just the right side of ripe and not have been picked too early - and autumn is the best time to get good quality figs. They're very delicate and if allowed to spend a maximum time on the tree, enormous care must be taken in harvesting and shipping. I like to buy figs grown in Southern Europe - Turkey, Greece, Spain), which in my case are the most likely to be harvested at their prime, wrapped individually in thin tissue paper and immediately shipped to a market near me.
When buying figs, always look carefully at what your market stall has to offer: more often than not at this time of the year there will be numerous crates with 3-for-£1 figs that are imported from further afield and therefore picked before they could develop their full potential... at the current rate, a good fig will go for £1.50 easily, so don't be stingy, you will notice the difference in flavour! Search out the ones which look like they're just about to burst open and if there is a cut one on display, you want the white flesh to be very thin (even thinner than on my picture, those could have done with a few more days on the tree) and the inside to look juicy. If they're not open, have a sniff - if they smell slightly sour, they've started to ferment already... put them back, you want sweet, plump and juicy!
Although figs have powerful meat-tenderising qualities due to the enzymes they contain, I prefer to enjoy them fresh. They are a wonderful treat as a no-fuss dessert (and yes, you CAN eat the skin!), but they are also a great addition to any cheese plate, blue cheese being a match made in heaven. And that's exactly what this starter is all about: a perfectly ripe fig, cut in half and topped with a creamy mousse of dolcelatte and mascarpone. If you have time to prepare some caramel, these nuts sprinkled with cayenne pepper offer a wonderful contrast, being crunchy and lightly spicy - and they can be prepared days in advance! So all you need to do is assemble everything neatly on a plate and you've got a starter fit for a king...
Fresh figs with dolcelatte cream and caramelised nuts
(serves 12)
6 perfectly ripe figs
100 g dolcelatte (or gorgonzola*)
100 g mascarpone cream
some cream or milk
salt & pepper to taste
some rocket (arugula) leaves to serve
For the caramelised nuts**:
24 pecan nuts
ca. 100 g caster sugar
cayenne pepper or fleur de sel to decorate
Mix the dolcelatte and mascarpone until smooth, adjust the consistency by adding some cream or milk. You need to be able to dress the cream onto the figs and whether you're using a piping bag, a squeeze bottle or one of these amazing things, the required consistency will vary. Season to taste.
(This can be prepared well in advance. Keep in the fridge and get out about 30 mins before serving to make sure the cream is soft enough for piping).
(Optional) Arrange the nuts on a silicone mat or other non-stick surface. Heat the sugar in a pan. Gently caramelise. Leave to cool and thicken a little before spooning onto the nuts. Immediately sprinkle with some cayenne pepper or fleur de sel (or both). Leave to cool and harden until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, gently wash the figs and pat dry. Cut in half through the stem and, if necessary, slice a tiny bit off the bottom to stabilise them. Arrange some rocket leaves on a plate, place half a fig in the centre. Squeeze some of the dolcelatte cream onto the fig (holding the nozzle down and squeezing evenly in a circular motion, slowly rising, works best for me) and top with a nut (optional).
Serve on its own or with bread sticks or a slice of toasted ciabatta.
* Gorgonzola and other blue cheeses can be used as a substitute, but you may need to adjust the cheese:mascarpone ratio, as they might be more potent. But it's just a matter of taste, so don't be shy to play around a little.
** I always double the quantity here to have some for nibbles later or to place some on the side of each plate.
