WHAT'S IN Season FIGS

Sweet, savoury or enjoyed freshly ripe just as they are, luscious, decadent figs are the ultimate indulgence.

Fresh figs can be purple, green, white (actually pale green), or red. Different varieties differ in firmness and sweetness. The interior of a fig is a mass of minute, edible flowers and tiny potential fruits that crunch like seeds, all embedded in soft flesh. When the fruit is fully ripe, the texture at the centre is moist and luscious.

Fresh figs are lovely to eat as they are. They are a classic first course with prosciutto or warmed and drizzled with a gorgonzola sauce; raw or grilled, they go well with hot or cold ham, pork or poultry. They can be poached or baked with sugar and a little water, plus flavourings such as orange flower water or spices. Quartered and soaked for a couple of hours in port, orange juice or an orange liqueur, they make an elegant, simple dessert.

PREPARATION

Remove the hard bit and any stalk at the stem end of fresh figs. The whole fruit is edible but can be peeled; for presentation, slit the skin downward into quarters, peeling it back like petals. Dried figs may be steamed to soften them before adding to a cake or pudding mixture.

CHOOSING

Depending on the variety, a perfectly ripe fig may sag a little, but all varieties will yield when gently pressed. Avoid figs that are hard, damaged, split or mouldy. They should smell sweet — when fully ripe, they are fragile and ferment readily – don’t buy if there is a hint of a sour odour.

STORING

Fully ripe figs should be eaten the day you buy them. As soon as you get home, arrange them in a single layer on a plate or tray and put them in the fridge. Remove the figs an hour or so ahead of serving to bring them back to room temperature as the cold dulls their fragrance and flavour. The Italian custom of placing room-temperature fruit on a bed of ice for serving suits figs perfectly. If you have to hold figs for a day or so, store in a single layer, covered, in the fridge crisper.