You Asked For It: Even our readers agree: The fig is up

By ANNE LONG
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 16, 2002

Figs seem to be everywhere this season. Nearly every food publication, including Williams-Sonoma's Taste, Gourmet, Food & Wine and this section, have featured the fig in the past few months. A recent People magazine mentioned figs as the scent of the day for several perfumemakers who haved copied the sweet aroma.

Our readers are also wondering about figs.

Patricia Boggi asked for a recipe using this interesting fruit in the preparation of jam or preserves.

Joseph Moravec writes that he is the grateful recipient of fresh figs from a friend who grows them, but he doesn't care for them. His recipe for fig preserves contains a variation for fig-ginger preserves.

Brook Gideon noted the request for fig squares by Gerry Hoag. Brook also is from Massachusetts and has a recipe passed down from her great-grandmother for date squares. When she and her father make them, they don't last long. Brook says the recipe is old and the directions a bit vague, but she is sure that figs could be substituted for the dates.

Many of us remember fondly the Kapok Tree Restaurant and its delicious planter's punch drinks. If a drink was ordered and the glass purchased, the recipe was on the box. A number of readers share the recipe with Connie White.

Margaret Ramsay requested a caramel or butterscotch pie recipe that is made with brown sugar and egg, and is cooked on the stove. Margaret says it is a Pennsylvania Dutch dessert. Jacqueline Connelly sends hers from the Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book.

For: Patricia Boggi of Belleaire Beach.

From: Joseph Moravec of Clearwater.

Recipe: Fig Preserves.

Fig Preserves

• 4 cups fresh figs, rinsed, dried, stemmed and halved
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

In a 6-quart Dutch oven, combine the ingredients. Let sit for an hour before cooking. Heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally. Continue to cook until a candy thermometer reads 224 degrees. Skim and discard foam.

Pour into hot, sterile jars. Cap. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Cool. If you do not process, store in refrigerator. Makes approximately six half-pint jars.

Variation: Fig-ginger preserves. Add 1/4 cup slivered, crystallized ginger to other ingredients before cooking. Cook and process as above. Crystallized ginger can be found at specialty food stores.

For: Gerry Hoag of Palm Harbor.

From: Brook Gideon of Tampa.

Recipe: Date (or fig) Squares, a family recipe from Massachusetts.

Date Squares

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3/4 cup butter, softened (11/2 sticks)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 package dates
• 1 cup boiling water

Mix first five ingredients together, then rub in the butter. Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9- by 12-inch baking pan, about 1/2 inch thick.

In a saucepan, combine packaged dates, boiling water and granulated sugar. Cook until thick, stirring frequently. Be careful; it burns easily. Brook has used "wet" and "dried" dates with similar results. The canisters of dried chopped dates make this step easier than chopping the wet, sticky dates.

Add the date mixture to the baking pan, spreading evenly over the first layer of the dry mixture. Cover with remaining dry mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Note: Brook is sure that figs can substitute successfully for the dates.

For: Connie White of Dunnellon.

From: Marjorie Hollinger of Palm Harbor, Ginny Larcom and Rhoda Gridley of Dunedin, Beverly Rutelonis of Brooksville, and Bettie Shue and Rosalie Borowczyk of Largo.

Recipe: Famous Kapok Tree recipe for Planter's Punch.

Kapok Tree Planter's Punch

• 2 ounces orange juice
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 2 ounces lime juice (sweetened)
• 1-1/4 ounces white rum
• 1-1/4 ounces amber rum
• 1-1/4 ounces Myer's Jamaican rum
• 1 tablespoon grenadine
• Additional 1 tablespoon grenadine and 1-1/4 ounces Myer's Jamaican rum

Mix fruit juices, rums and grenadine; shake. Pour into a glass filled with ice. Add the additional tablespoon of grenadine and top with 1-1/4 ounces Myer's Jamaican rum.

For: Margaret Ramsay of Tarpon Springs.

From: Jacqueline Connelly of New Port Richey.

Recipe: Butterscotch Pie from the Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book.

Butterscotch Pie

• Pastry for 8-inch pie shell
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 2 cups milk, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped cream for topping

Prepare pastry, line an 8-inch pie pan, prick pastry and bake at 450 degrees 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and cook without stirring to the thread stage or until it will spin a 2-inch thread when allowed to drop from fork or spoon. Blend in the butter. Set aside.

Blend 1/2 cup milk and the flour together until smooth. Mix in the remaining milk. Add gradually to the syrup, stirring constantly. Continue to stir, and bring mixture to a boil; cook 3 minutes longer. Set over simmering water. Cover. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring three or four times.

Vigorously stir about six tablespoons of hot mixture into the beaten eggs. Immediately blend into mixture in double boiler.

Cook over simmering water about 5 minutes, stirring slowly. Remove from water and blend in the extract. Cover and cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Cool to lukewarm in refrigerator. Turn filling into baked pastry shell.

To serve, top with whipped cream.

Recipe requests

Charles Perry of Largo writes that he is looking for three delicious recipes: an almond pastry dough that is quite dense and has a soft interior texture after baking; a tiramisu that is made with almond flavors, possibly with amaretto, in lieu of coffee and chocolate; and a dessert from Applebee's that is a white chocolate brownie served with warmed maple butter and a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream.

Kathy Staneh of Spring Hill clipped a recipe for homemade salami from this newspaper many years ago. The recipe was lost in moving, and Kathy hopes you can replace it.

Innovative and healthy fresh blueberries recipes are the request of Rosemary Westbrook of St. Petersburg. There has been quite a bit of news lately about how beneficial blueberries are, but many recipes seem to be for high-calorie pies and other desserts. This seems to be counterproductive, and Rosemary would like to have some good ideas for incorporating them.

- You Asked for It is a reader mail column. If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to: You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

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