Figs were loved during the time of the ancient Romans. Legend has it that Cato, in the 157 B.C., one day brought a basket of figs to the Roman Senate asking where they had been picked. When he revealed that they had been taken from Carthage, he actually marked the end of the city, perceived too close and therefore too dangerous. “Carthago delenda est” because of fresh figs!
This recipe is delicious. These figs are perfect both as a dessert and as an accompaniment to cheese.
The only precaution is to control the caramel well. Once, I got distracted and the caramel became too thick so to eat the figs I had to put the jar in a bain-marie first!
Figs with caramel
- Preparation time: 70 minutes + 1 hour for sterilization
- Ingredients for 2 lb
- Difficulty: Average difficulty recipe
- Ingredients
- 1 kg or 2 ¼ lb of ripe but intact and firm figs
- 600 gr or 3 cups of sugar
- 1/2 glass of dry port
- The grated peel of 1 lemon
- Instructions
- Wash and dry the figs.
- With a small knife remove the petiole, leaving the skin intact.
- Take a pan large enough to contain them all side by side in a single layer. Arrange the figs and sprinkle with sugar to cover them. Add the port and the lemon peel. Cover the pot with the lid and put it on high heat for a few minutes. When the sugar begins to melt, lower the heat to a minimum and continue cooking for about an hour.
- At this point, it is necessary to sterilize the jars and the caps. Put them in the oven, set the temperature to 250° F, and leave them there for an hour. Turn off the oven.
- Check the figs gradually and if the liquid is too fluid, remove the lid for the last half hour of cooking. The consistency must be that of a syrup.
- Arrange the figs in sterilized jars and cover them with caramel to the edge.
Close the jars and proceed with sterilization. - Put the jars in a pot. Fill the pot with water that must exceed 1 31/32in the cap of the jars and then turn on the fire. As soon as it boils, it takes about twenty minutes for the 8 oz jars and thirty minutes for the 20 oz jars. All the jars should be left inside the water until they are completely cooled. The jars should go under the vacuum as soon as the water cools. Jars that have not been vacuum sealed must be consumed immediately and cannot be placed in the pantry.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- Never put figs in multiple layers.
- The fire for caramelization must be low otherwise the caramel burns and you have to throw out everything.
- Check the caramel to avoid it being too liquid or too thick.
