Fig And Goat Cheese Clafoutis

Calimyrna and Sad Mission Figs

I treasure coming relieve dwelling. Aside from my family being right here, the climate is better (no longer lower than in summer time), the landscape extra ravishing, there are consistently hundreds of hungry mouths to feed and a stack of most modern cookbooks in a position to encourage me. This day out has been even extra supreme than in model due to my rising community of foodblogging associates, nice those that devour taken the time to part a savory meal and some energetic conversation with me. I reconnected with the über-proficient Molly and used to be suitably charmed by her man Brandon over a behind dinner of crabcakes and blended pickles; I had the distinction of sharing my first Tom Douglas meal with the gracious and engaging Heather (who’s, as a ways as I do know, the food-blogosphere’s most effective inclined news anchor and documentary filmmaker), and I even managed to squeeze a bayside lunch with with the fine Tea who by coincidence used to be within the Seattle dwelling visiting family on the equivalent time as me. As gargantuan as all these homecoming treats were, on the other hand, I basically devour to admit that the highlight of the day out so a ways as been none of these. With all due admire and apologies to bloggers and family alike, the truth of the matter is that nothing – and I indubitably indicate nothing – on this day out can high the fruit.

Scotland has many issues going for it: kilts, for one thing, whisky for every other, and let’s no longer omit haggis, but one thing I basically devour a indubitably laborious time residing without is admittedly correct fruit. Surely there are supermarkets that raise offerings as numerous as anyplace else – peaches from Italy, plums from France, cherries from Turkey – but it most effective takes a closer look for the painful variations to emerge. Most issues are heavily packaged, transported from a ways, a ways-off and sold criminally below-ripe. Natural pickings are slim. Things don’t differ too unprecedented with the seasons, either; strawberries, for instance, are consistently on the shelves, sharing dwelling with rock-laborious nectarines and blueberries from Antarctica that cost half a month’s hire. Other issues I feeble to withhold in suggestions staples are merely unavailable (for instance, a six-month aged quest to be conscious down natural red grapes has confirmed fruitless, whenever you’ll excuse the pun). And even the one bastion of hope, the weekly Edinburgh farmer’s market, is fine paltry, with its two or three create stands and a dedication to most effective promote what’s farmed within the neighborhood, which with this being Scotland ability three seasons of root greens and a few lettuce leaves and raspberries in summer time.

Nevertheless then I come dwelling to Washington, to the height of the Northwest harvest. In desire to plastic-entombed fruit-facsimiles there are mountains of fuzzy yellow peaches and blushing Rainier cherries; hand-picked buckets of enormous inky blackberries aloof warm from the sun, and crates of the sweetest, most fragrant white nectarines I basically devour ever tasted. My first day out to the market is treasure that scene in The Wizard of Oz, when all right away all the pieces changes from dim and white to Technicolor. I’m intoxicated by the colours, the perfumes, the sheer abundance; I inch the aisles in a type of trance, customarily stopping to smell, caress or merely sight. As that it is probably you’ll factor in, I get some humorous appears to be.

And then undoubtedly there’s the cooking, which due to such create is practically effortless. I look issues, akin to these figs, and sooner than I basically devour them in my basket I do know what I make a choice to preserve out with them. Some goat cheese for tang, some cream for richness, some honey for sweetness, and a short nap in a hot oven to caramelize and listen the flavors; right here is the form of cooking I dream about all year. The Northwest would possibly possibly well in no procedure have the option to compete with Scotland within the whisky and male-apparel departments, but all this fine fruit is exerting a fine solid tractor beam on my abominable expat soul. And as unprecedented as I treasure my family, I suspect that if I am ever going to relocate relieve right here for correct, the quality of market offerings can devour extra than a tiny to preserve out with it.

Fig and Goat Cheese Clafoutis

Fig and Goat Cheese Clafoutis

Serves: 6

Notes: Equal parts custard, cheesecake and pancake, this clafoutis is no longer terribly aged, but it is indubitably correct. Encourage it in generous wedges, lukewarm or at room temperature, with something contemporary and tangy as counterpoint – some flippantly-sweetened crème fraîche or greek yogurt, a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt or likely some selfmade buttermilk ice cream…

5 oz (150g) delicate goat cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (110g) sugar, plus further for dipping figs

4 tall eggs

3 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, atomize up, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (70g) flour

1 lb (500g) figs, any diversity

powdered/icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Place the goat cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and jog except tranquil. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating every body sooner than adding the next. Tear within the honey and cream. Jam the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them too. Tear within the flour accurate except no lumps stay. At this point the batter would possibly possibly even be refrigerated for as much as 24 hours (and indeed, some of us instruct it improves with age).

Halve the figs lengthwise. Grease a shallow baking dish or solid-iron skillet (approx 10in/25cm diameter) with butter and pour within the batter. Pour some sugar into a shallow bowl and dip the figs, decrease-aspect down, into the sugar. Put collectively them, decrease-aspect up, within the batter.

Bake except the head is golden brown and a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out dapper, about 30-40 minutes (this is in a position to per chance rely on how tall your baking dish is). Enable to chill for no longer lower than 20 minutes sooner than serving.