Best Figs And Dried Cherries Poached In Vanilla Honey Syrup With Pistachios Recipes

HONEY POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• In a small or medium saucepan that's large enough to hold the figs, heat water, honey, and sugar (and vanilla and cinnamon, if using) on medium-high. Cook until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and add figs. Let simmer until tender but not mushy, 5-10 minutes, turning them occasionally so that each side is poached evenly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer figs to a bowl. Let the water-honey liquid continue simmering on medium-low heat until liquid reduces and thickens to a syrup consistency, about 15 more minutes. Let cool.
• Once the figs have cooled slightly, remove stems and cut in half.
• Keep sauce and figs in the refrigerator until ready to use. Serve at room temperature.
• Arrange figs and serve as desired. Figs can be served either a dollop of whipped cream, mascarpone, crème fraiche, or yogurt, or alongside desserts such as cake, cheesecake, or crepes. Drizzle with syrup.

FIGS AND DRIED CHERRIES POACHED IN VANILLA-HONEY SYRUP WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups water and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in honey. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add figs and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add dried tart cherries; cover and simmer until figs and dried cherries are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer fig mixture to bowl. Chill until cold, about 3 hours. (Fig mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.) Discard vanilla bean. Divide fig mixture among 6 bowls. Top each serving with dollop of yogurt, if desired. Sprinkle with pistachios.

POACHED FIGS IN SPICED HONEY SYRUP

Steps:

• Combine water, sugar and honey in heavy large skillet. Stir over low heat until sugar and honey dissolve. Add allspice, cloves and juniper berries. Bring to simmer. Add figs, cover and simmer until figs are just tender, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer figs to bowl. Chill until cold.
• Bring cooking liquid to boil. Boil until reduced to syrup consistency, about 5 minutes. Strain. Cool.
• Arrange figs in dessert goblets. Drizzle syrup over. Garnish with mint and serve.

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.

HONEY-AND-THYME-POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• In a saucepan bring the wine and the apple juice to a boil with the honey, the thyme, and the vanilla and simmer the mixture for 3 minutes. Add the figs and simmer the mixture, covered partially, for 5 minutes, or until the figs are very soft. Serve the figs warm with the syrup in stemmed glasses topped with the mascarpone and the zest.

RED-WINE-POACHED FIGS WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer figs, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer figs with a slotted spoon to a bowl and boil syrup until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Strain syrup through a fine sieve into another bowl. Add syrup to figs and cool to warm.
• Serve fig mixture spooned over ice cream.