August marks the start of fig season, a moment I look forward to all year long. I was a late bloomer when it came to most things, including loving figs. My parents raved about them every summer, buying them as a treat, only for me to scrunch up my face and wince, like an ungrateful heathen, or a self-conscious first-gen kid who was overly consumed with American things.
On a visit from Iran, my Grandma spotted fig trees in someone’s front yard, asked my mom to stop the car, and started picking them. Then she and my mother knocked on this stranger’s door (Ed note: ?? Should’ve taken the figs and run IMO - also, I’m Ed), which started a beautiful, sporadic friendship that mostly centered around their fig trees in the summer. My parents planted multiple varietals of fig trees in their yard, and one year, I finally tried one of the few left untouched by squirrels. And just like that, nothing was the same (now playing: “Started From the Bottom”).
With one bite, I understood everything my parents were trying to tell me for decades (Ed note: they have yet to convince me on persimmons). Figs are a perfect fruit. They are sweet like jam, soft and pliable with a lil’ crunch, aesthetically stunning, divine on their own and sublime when paired with other sweets and savories. Their short season spanning late summer to early fall makes them even more appealing: figs, like most good things in life, are fleeting and precious. I’ll spare you more details on why figs aren’t like the other girls, but beyond the facts, figs taste like home to me. I delight in finding them, eating them in excess, and sharing them with anyone willing to tolerate me during fig season. I love them so much I named my dog Fig. Her nicknames include fichi (Italian for figs), figgy pudding, fig newton, figgins (inspired by Higgins in Ted Lasso) and notorious FIG.
Given that this newsletter is all about what I’m consuming, I’m sharing some ways for you to consume figs this season:
“Love The Fig”: This New Yorker article by Ben Crair is a much better, science-backed ode to figs, which also taught me that fig leaves are what Adam and Eve used for clothing (farm to ‘fit — Gwyneth Paltrow is shaking). They even include the process by which figs are made, which involves dead wasps. I refuse to write about that because I’m not in the business of traumatizing my currently non-existent readership.
Fig Toast: There is no real recipe here, the only instruction is that you tag me in your photos when you make this. Take any bread, spread with nut butter or labne or tahini, throw some sliced or quartered figs on there and top with flaky salt, honey, and/or pistachios.
Warm Fig and Chocolate Sponge Cake: My boyfriend surprised me with this Ottolenghi cake after I sent a photo of it with an alarming number of emojis to him in an Instagram DM. It is now an official fig season™ tradition. I would never think to unite figs and chocolate, but there’s really no turning back now. This is the type of love and harmony Mariah Carey was singing about in “We Belong Together.” ~Wait a minute this is too deep — too deep.~ Rich and soft, almost custard-like, you start fig cake on the stove in a skillet and finish the bake in the oven. Serving things in skillets — and calling dessert “the bake” — is always fun and personally, makes me feel like Nigella Lawson. I also feel like Nigella (Nigella is my Pablo) whenever I rip up ingredients and call it a ‘rustic chop’ out loud, to no one in particular, in a vaguely English accent. For reader(s) who have not given in to the NYT Cooking paywall or want to challenge themselves by converting ingredients, I salute you and share the recipe via the Irish Times.
Figs + Cheese: I love to pair figs with any cheese, but my favorites include feta, goat cheese, Boursin, labne (technically cheese!). Figs, burrata, honeydew, and prosciutto on a plate is a great start to a party or a full dinner for two.
Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars: If you live someplace where figs aren’t readily accessible, these whole wheat fig bars are a delightful alternative to Fig Newtons, make for a great snack or crumble on yogurt + fruit for breakfast, and are in most grocery stores!
That’s all for volume one of Consumed. I’ll leave you with this image of glorious figs from last year. May your fig season be merry and bright.
