I picked up a couple pounds of dried black mission figs the other day and had some extra that I wanted to use up. I stumbled upon this super easy recipe for a fig spread that has my mind racing on possible uses. For now I have used it as a spread on breads and crackers but thinking homemade fig newtons or fig filled shortbread cookies.
It's definitely easy to get a little sad in the Winter about not having a lot of fresh fruits but it's also a good time to use dried fruits and be a little creative. This recipe can easily be used for other types of fruits. One thing I really like about it is the fact that it really doesn't use much sugar since the dried fruits already have a high concentrate of their own sugars, which are even heightened by the drying process.
All You Need:
1.5 Cups Water
1 Cup quartered dried figs
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP Whiskey or Cognac
1 TBSP Lemon Juice.
Combine all of the ingredients except Cognac and Lemon Juice into a small saucepan. Stir while bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the figs are soft.
Transfer to a food processor and add the lemon juice and cognac. Pulse until smooth and thick. You can add some water to play with the consistency if you prefer a thinner spread.
Cool and refrigerate until use.
