by ChezSuzanne
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Food52's Testing Notes:
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Expand16 dried figs (I used white figs) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup brandy, or enough to cover and macerate the figs Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup water Ask a question about this ingredient
5 ounces plus 2 Tablespoons honey (I used orange blossom honey) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon anise seed Ask a question about this ingredient
4 strips of orange peel (removed with a potato peeler) Ask a question about this ingredient
7 ounces orange juice Ask a question about this ingredient
juice from 1/4 of small Meyer lemon Ask a question about this ingredient
pinch salt Ask a question about this ingredient
8 bought or made tart shells (optional) Ask a question about this ingredient
2/3 cups heavy whipping cream Ask a question about this ingredient
6 tablespoons mascarpone cheese Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient
lemon zest from 1 large lemon Ask a question about this ingredient
2 squeezes of lemon juice Ask a question about this ingredient
Macerate the dried figs in the brandy, water and 2 Tablespoons of honey overnight. There should be enough liquid to cover the figs.
Ask a question about this stepIn a medium pot over medium-low heat, combine the rest of the honey with the orange juice, peel, anise seed, lemon juice and salt. Slice the figs in half and add to the honey mixture. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the mixture reduces to a glaze-like mixture. The figs should be very soft, but still holding their shape. Turn the figs carefully with a large metal spoon during the simmering process to completely cover them with the honey-orange juice. Let cool slightly in the pot.
Ask a question about this stepEither arrange several figs on a plate, for example in the shape of a flower or place them in a tart shell, and drizzle a little of the honey-orange syrup over them. (I show pictures of both.) Either spoon or pipe the mascarpone whipped cream beside them on the plate or in the tart. Drizzle a little of the honey-orange syrup on top.
Ask a question about this stepTo make the mascarpone whipped cream, whip the whipping cream to a medium peak using a hand or standing mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients for the Lemon Mascarpone Whipped Cream and continue to beat for about 20 - 30 seconds until it is the consistency of whipped cream and can be piped.
Ask a question about this stepThat sounds amazing. I think this would be a nice romantic shared dessert for Valentines or another special occasion. I don't have access to Meyer lemons, but do have some Meyer lemoncello.
Thanks so much! I'm sure this would be fine with regular lemons too. I hope you have a chance to make it :-)
Yum! I can see this also made in the summer with fresh figs. Texture will be different, and I would do a shorter marinade, but..... this is a WOW! Another Valentine-worthy dessert.
Congratulations! Well deserved - what an amazing dessert! I can think of a number of sweets I'd like to top with the lemon mascarpone cream, too.
Thank you so much FOOD52 for this incredible honor!! I'm so thrilled! Traveling right now in and out of cell coverage, but I'm really excited!
Yum! This sounds delighful! Big congrats!
Congratulations CS, another well deserved win for you. Never saw this before what a fabulous recipe,
Congrats on your back-to-back wins -- you're a rock star! This looks amazing!
Thanks so much Emily! I'm really just floored. Really excited, and so surprised! Wow.
Two in a row!! Congratulations big time!!
Just about anything "drunken" works for me, but this dish looks particularly delicious! - S
Thanks Steve! I must admit that my husband and I just inhaled this dessert! Would love to hear what you think if you try it.
Thanks Sagegreen! There are so many fun things you can do with presenting this simple dessert if you use dried figs. They are very cooperative :-)
I love the flavors here. What a perfect way to end Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanks so much Midge! The flavors really go together so well - something I discovered by pure accident. One of those lucky accidents (versus aaaaaall the unlucky accidents I've had with flavor combos in the kitchen :-)) Hope you like it if you try it!
Thanks TiggyBee!! I've got my eye on your Indian Pudding. I just had Indian Pudding today for the first time at an event for Amanda's fabulous new cookbook and I just loved it. Can't wait to try yours!
There was an event(s)? Is there any info posted anywhere that you can point me towards? I'd love to attend, if possible!! Thanks!!
Amanda was in SF this weekend promoting her book and AntoniaJames on here pulled together a potluck for those of us in the SF Bay Area to celebrate Amanda and her new cookbook. Amanda was free Saturday night, as luck would have it, as she had events on Saturday and Sunday in SF, and it was a very fun get-together. Liz flew up from southern CA for the events and so was able to join us at the potluck. We've tried to get potlucks together for food52ers across the country this past summer, and plan to continue this fun trend. We're trying to record any potlucks for folks to attend in the "Meet Ups" section under the Cooks tab. What area of the country do you live in? I'm hosting a bunch in the spring if you're anywhere near the Bay Area or can come!
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy them! They lasted about 15 minutes at my house.
This looks and sounds just fantastic. I can't wait to try it.
How wonderful that this came together because of the potluck! It was delicious. I'm glad to have the recipe for the whipped cream, it will go great with many things. Thanks!
You're welcome monkeymom! BTW I loved your spinach salad with pesto! I had to eliminate the walnuts since I'm allergic and added the pine nuts into the pesto. I also added some sorrel leaves to the pesto since I had some around and I can't seem to ever leave well-enough alone. It turned out great.
I have never tried sorrel and will have to do so as soon as I can find it.
I got mine at Whole Foods in the section where the herbs are prepackaged in a plastic container, but it should start showing up at Farmer's Markets now that it's spring. It's a great combination with spinach - it adds a little tartness to it with the lemon- and it's stays bright green. I didn't cook it first - just popped it in the processor with all the other pesto ingredients.
Looks absolutely delicious - so glad to have been able to spend time together at the potluck. Lots of laughs!
That looks so good. We love figs but really but don't see good ones very often. I will try this when I see good ones in the market.
I have the same problem. They're in our stores for only about 1-2 months a year it seems. I did this with dried figs, which you might find much more easily. I get mine at Whole Foods. Hope you enjoy them. REALLY easy to make.
Stephanie is the Head Recipe Tester of Food52.
I made this and it got all clumpy from adding the cold un-whipped mascarpone into the cream. I would recommend whipping the mascarpone, removing it from the bowl and set it to the side. Then whip the cream then add the mascarpone. I had to sift mine through sleeve and it lost it's fluffiness. Otherwise, great recipe.