Figs en Regalia

In Sicily, fresh figs are common and ludicrously cheap - one evening we were presented with a large bucket full of delicious freshly picked figs, yellow-green on the outside, scarlet on the inside, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. We gorged on as many as we possibly could, bearing in mind that an overdose can have well known and unwelcome consequences.

But fresh figs deteriorate quickly and there were still loads left. Even the 'fridge can't prevent deterioration for more than a couple of days - so what to do with the remainder of such largesse? The answer was to make Figs en Regalia.

Wash and quarter 6-8 fresh figs and add them to a shallow pan with a third a bottle of red wine - I used the local Etna Rosso to match the figs, but any red with low tannin and good acidity will do. Heat until it gently bubbles rather than boils and leave it to stew for around half an hour.

After this time, the liquid will have started to reduce and the figs break up. Now stir in a generous tablespoonful of honey (I used set honey) and continue to cook down for another 15 minutes on a low heat until the whole mixture begins to caramelise. A sprinkling of cinnamon can be added if you have it to hand.

Continue to let the mixture caramelise, stirring to prevent sticking. Finally, remove from the heat once the mix is quite jammy and serve immediately for a lovely hot dessert. Try it alone, or add a dollop of Mascarpone, yoghurt or cream to taste. These quantities will make four generous helpings.

The advantage of this simple recipe is that it has excellent keeping properties as you are basically making a rough alcoholic jam. In the UK, figs are often sold for ludicrously inflated prices, but you can use this little-effort idea with a number of soft fruits.

Originally the same method was used to deal with a glut of huge Sicilian peaches, which I named Peaches en Regalia after the Frank Zappa instrumental came to mind while making it. You can find that track on his 1969 album Hot Rats. Disturbing, no?

Paul Howard, September 2008