When exactly are figs in season? Does anybody know? It feels as if they should be an autumn fruit to me, but they are a spring / summer thing, aren’t they? I never really know and then they take me by surprise in the supermarket. But they are there one minute and gone the next, like this weekend. I went to get some for a recipe I wanted to make and there weren’t any to be found. I hope they come back soon because this recipe idea is itching to make it onto a plate!
We have a small fig tree in the garden, but I think its fruit is months away yet. There are little promising bulbs, but last year they stayed as hard as bullets. Can you eat hard figs, or will they give you terrible indigestion for days?
Anyway, let’s focus on these figs and cross our fingers that you can find some.
I roasted them in the oven with some organic orange blossom water and then threw them in a hearty scone mix – so delicious. Dense scone mixed with little fruit chewy bits and a slight hint of vanilla.
Perfect for afternoon tea.
Or breakfast.
Or elevenses. I won’t judge.
As I said above, these scones are a little on the dense side because I wanted to stay away from using a commercial flour blend, like I have here and here. However if you can’t get some of the flours listed, or you would prefer a less hearty – but still delicious – scone, then please use this recipe as a base and sub the strawberries with the figs and leave out the chocolate chips (but don’t forget to add the vanilla). It’s up to you.
Right, I’m off to continue the fig hunt . . .
Roasted Fig & Vanilla Scones
Ingredients:
- 5 small figs or 2-3 regular sized ones
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp organic orange blossom water *
- 1/2 tsp water
- 47g brown rice flour
- 45g sorghum flour
- 40g buckwheat flour
- 15g arrowroot
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 20g coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- pinch of salt
- 55g butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 120ml unsweetened almond milk, split into two
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 Celsius / 160 fan / 350 Fahrenheit. Line a small baking sheet with foil.
- Slice the figs and arrange on the baking sheet. Mix the honey, orange blossom water and water together and drizzle over the figs. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes then remove and allow to cool.
- In a medium-sized bowl mix together the flours, arrowroot, baking powder, coconut sugar, ground almonds and salt. Add the butter and rub with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Using a pair of scissors snip the cooled figs into the mixture and stir to distribute.
- Mix the vanilla bean paste with half of the almond milk and add to the scone mixture. Use your hands to bring it together to form a dough, adding the remaining milk a little at a time (you may not use it all) if the mixture is too dry. The dough should be slightly tacky to the touch (better to be a little wetter than too dry).
- Remove the foil from the baking sheet and replace with non-stick baking paper.
- Form the scone dough into a disc approximately 1 inch thick. Cut in half and then cut each half into three (so you have six triangle-shaped scones). Spread out on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before either transferring to a wire rack to cool completely or eating.
- Store in an air-tight container away from direct sunlight for 3 days. Best eaten slightly warm.
* I used Steenbergs organic orange blossom water, which is quite potent. If your blossom water is on the milder side, double to quantity to 1/4 tsp.
© The Pink Rose Bakery 2015
The Pink Rose Bakery 
i believe figs technically have two seasons…. one right at the beginning of summer, but their real season is right at the end of summer into early fall. i also find it fascinating that it takes the fig tree something like a decade to mature before it fruit-bearing. they are such a succulent, sensual fruit… don’t you agree?! i like to think the fig is the “forbidden fruit” spoken of in the bible đŸ˜‰
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Fingers crossed for a few months time, when they should hopefully reappear in the supermarkets!
My little tree has a while to go then before it provides some fruit that is edible . . . !
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Can’t wait for my tree to give this precious fruit. I do believe that they are a summer fruit. A trick someone gave on what to do with the figs once I harvest them is not let them mature completely on the tree. First because the birds get them before you, and then because you can manage how fast they ripe. Save the egg carton containers and place the figs in each space. Keepthem in the fridge and use the ones that mature first.
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Thanks for the tip, I will give it a go if the little bulbs get any bigger!
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They’re so pretty, they have a beautiful nubbly hand crafted look and the figgy bits look gorgeous. If I had any space left after my sampling activities (it was a baking day today), I’d be sorely tempted…
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Ha! Yep, the sticky chewy figgy bits are particular highlights . . .
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