Fig leaves are my new favourite ingredient; they lend a beautiful floral, almost coconut-y flavour to baking, custards etc.
Here are some recipes that put them to good use; a fig leaf and almond loaf cake and a baked ricotta wrapped in fig leaves. I have made both a few times (at the below lunch for Mum and Dad’s buddies last week, and then again at a cooking class here at the farm, also below) this past week and highly recommend!
I hope you have fun playing around with these recipes, please let me know if you try any of them, or any other ‘applications’ of the not-so-humble fig leaf.
Fig leaf almond loaf
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 55–60 mins
Serves 8
This is a classic butter cake formula with almond meal for extra flavour and moisture. It keeps pretty well for a few days when wrapped up tightly. The recipe comes from my new book What Can I Bring.
1 cup (250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp ground fig leaves*
250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
200 g (11/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 cup (100 g) almond meal
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup (125 ml) buttermilk or yogurt
1 tsp vanilla paste
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line a loaf tin.
Place the sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, add the ground fig leaves and rub together with your fingertips. Add the butter and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition (stop and scrape the side of the bowl down every now and then if needed).
Combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Place the buttermilk in a jug and whisk in the vanilla.
Fold half the buttermilk and half the flour mixture into the butter mix, then repeat with the remaining buttermilk and flour.
Transfer the mixture to your prepared tin and bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Beautiful fresh, but I also love to toast slices of this cake in our sandwich press then slice in half, top with a dollop of cream and a little piece of fresh fig or jam or something. So so delicious.
*Fig leaf sugar
Ground, toasted fig leaves add a beautiful coconut-y flavour to this cake. To anything you happen to use them in really! So here’s what you do; find yourself some unsprayed fig leaves and dry toast them in a frying pan until getting crisp but not browning at all. Then blitz these in your spice or coffee grinder until a fine powder.
Now tip your caster sugar into a bowl and work the fig leaf dust into the sugar with your fingertips, until you have a beautiful, green and aromatic bowl of fig sugar!
Fresh ricotta baked in fig leaves
This is such a delicious thing to make as a starter, or side for a lovely lunch (maybe with a salad, and some charcuterie). The fig leaves give everything a lovely, nutty and gently floral flavour and it is just a gorgeous thing to make and share.
You could 100% make this with store-bought ricotta but I promise making it yourself (see recipe below) is EASY and the soft, fresh ricotta does take this whole thing up a few notches. And likewise, if you don’t have access to fig leaves, use baking paper and a layer of foil instead.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a tray with baking paper and then arrange about 6 big fig leaves on top as per video (or however you find it works best!), drizzle with oil, then dollop your beautiful ricotta in the middle (you’ll want a cup and a half, or thereabouts. Sprinkle with dukkah or maybe toasted fennel seeds and crushed walnuts. Add about 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or other hard cheese, a little orange zest, a sprinkle of salt and another drizzle of oil and then wrap your little figgy parcel up and tie it with kitchen twine (or skewer with toothpicks or kebab sticks). Surround with slices of bread and a few torn figs if you have any handy, then drizzle again with oil and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Unwrap, transfer to a fresh fig leaf to serve, sprinkle with a dusting of chilli flakes (to taste) and enjoy!
Homemade Ricotta
4 cups whole milk
2 cups pure cream
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (I also use rice vinegar sometimes too, lemon juice is also good)
Combine the milk, cream and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, if you have a candy thermometer it should reach around 90C. Set a sieve over a bowl and line with a few layers of clean chux (or muslin).
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vinegar or lemon juice.
Leave for a few minutes for the mixture to curdle. Then gently whisk to accelerate this process. Pour the curdled milk mixture into the sieve and leave to slowly drain. This will take about 25 minutes. After which time you should have about 2 cups of ricotta. Keep it in the fridge.
Don’t discard the leftover ‘ricotta whey’ that drains away from the curd. I use it when making bread or focaccia (substituting half the liquid called for for whey and mixing with water), you can also use it in smoothies or similar.
Leave a Reply