I really, really, like figs. My grandparents had a fig tree outside of their house in Southwest Texas, and that was where I first tasted fig preserves. My grandmother would have them on her toast in the morning, and being the curious eater I've always been, I also got to have a little from time to time. The smells of toast and coffee always seemed more piquant when we were visiting them there....
To the present, this year, for the first time I can remember, Costco has had 2 lb. packages of figs available in our area (which is generally too cold to grow figs), and they were fantastic! Not only did I get to enjoy them fresh, I also made a simple compote with them (a number of batches, actually; one of which I canned).
How simple has the recipe been? Well, chop figs, pour on some turbinado sugar, pour on slightly less honey, sprinkle with dry lemon juice powder, and throw in one small tear of mastic gum. Then, I cooked it down, added some water, and cooked it down again. That was all, and it has been SO good!
P.S. Mastic gum is the dried resin of a shrub/tree [Pistacia lentiscus] that grows mainly on the Greek island of Chios (just west of Turkey in the Aegean Sea). My little container of Mastic resin is by Krinos, the well-known distributor of Greek (and other Mediterranean) food products (online, they call it "mastiha"). When dissolved, it has a very distinctive perfume; memorable, but not cloying.
The Four Spagyric (Alchemical) Seasons
