Fruit Intelligence: Fig

By Michael Laiskonis, Culinary Director, Boiron Americas

Sponsored by

 As the long hot days of summer yield to cooler autumn vibes, there is one fresh fruit in particular that manages to bridge the seasonality gap – fig. At home alongside bright warm weather flavors like berries and stone fruits, this versatile ingredient is equally up to pairing with the bold, spicy flavors of fall.

Botanically speaking, the fig is a type of fruit known as a syconium. Within its purple-brown skin, each pear-shaped fruit conceals a rose-colored flesh containing a multitude of florets that develop into achenes – or, technically, thousands of potential fruits within a single ‘fruit’ – resulting in the unique textural ‘crunch’ we experience when enjoying figs. Evidence suggests the fig was among the very first fruit trees to be domesticated, dating back over 10,000 years to the very beginnings of organized agriculture. From ancient times through to the modern era, the cultivation of figs is most associated with the hot, sunny Mediterranean basin – from Southern Europe to the Middle East and North Africa.

Among the most highly praised fig varieties is the Violette de Solliës, sourced by Les vergers Boiron from the Provence region of southeastern France. The plump, purple figs of the Gapeau River valley are known for subtle red fruit notes and a high natural sugar content reaching 20° Brix. These legendary fruits were granted Appellation d’Origine Controlée (AOC) status in 2006, and further recognized as a product worthy of Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) in 2015. Working with a 100-year old family farm in Solliës-Pont north of the coastal city of Toulon, is a prime example of the many producer partnerships Boiron has maintained with fruit growers over several decades.

The fig harvest in Solliës begins in mid-August and continues into November; multiple passes through the orchards and strict selection criteria allow fruits to mature fully and sweeten throughout the long season. The careful handling of these precious fruits at Boiron’s facility near Valence (a three-hour drive north of Solliës-Pont) preserves the purple color of the fruit, and the resulting purée exhibits a strong aromatic profile with complex fruit and nut notes and a desirable sugar-acid balance. The thick texture and subtle ‘crunch’ of the achenes offer the perception of freshly crushed figs.

Figs pair well with a wide array of complementary flavors: honey, chestnut, cinnamon, pear, raspberry, mint, almond and caramel to name just a few. Their sweet, earthy profile makes them perfect foils for tart citrus and tangy dairy products such as yogurt and goat cheese. Applications in desserts include sorbet and ice cream, ganache and confections, and versatile creams and compotes.

Among my favorite fig-inspired recipes are the Fig-Apricot Pâte de Fruit I pair with Petit Basque in a sweet-and-savory composed cheese course; a Fig Compote offering a twist to classic Basque Tart; and a rich Fig Jam offering a fruity counterpoint to a hazelnut praline chocolate bar.

For more recipe inspiration and technical information about Les vergers Boiron’s Purple Fig purée, visit: https://www.my-vb.com and follow along as we explore our origins and applications at @les_vergers_boiron_americas.

Fig Basque Tart

By Michael Laiskonis, Culinary Director, Boiron Americas

I have long been enamored by the flaky texture and sense of ‘surprise’ offered by the classic Basque Tart. The traditional tart of vanilla cream encased in pastry is given added complexity with a fig-raspberry compote and further dressed up with vanilla gelato, raspberry coulis, and crushed pistachio.

Yield: 2 each 18 cm large-format tarts; alternatively, 8 each 7.5 cm small-format tarts

Vanilla Gelato

• 600 g whole milk
• 175 g heavy cream, 36% fat
• 1 piece vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 45 g nonfat dry milk powder
• 140 g sucrose
• 20 g dextrose
• 20 g invert sugar
• 2 g ice cream stabilizer

Total weight: 1000 g

1. Place the milk, cream, and vanilla in a saucepan. Whisk in dry milk to rehydrate and add the sucrose, dextrose, invert sugar and stabilizer. Bring just to a boil.
2. Remove from heat, discard vanilla bean, and homogenize with an immersion blender. Chill in an ice-water bath. Allow the mix to mature at least 12 hours.
3. Process in batch freezer; extract the mix at 23°F (-5˚C). Alternatively, transfer to PacoJet canisters and freeze; process as needed. Continue to harden the gelato at 0˚F (-18˚C) as necessary.

Vanilla Cream

• 500 g whole milk
• 1 piece vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 125 g sucrose
• 42 g corn starch
• 1 g salt
• 80 g egg yolks
• 10 g unsalted butter

Total weight: approximately 750 g

1. Place the milk and vanilla bean into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine the sucrose, cornstarch and salt; gradually whisk into the egg yolks.
2. Carefully temper half of the hot milk into the yolks, whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the saucepan and whisk continuously on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
3. Strain and transfer to a shallow container and cover with plastic film. Chill and store under refrigeration.

Fig Compote

• 300 g Les vergers Boiron Fig purée
• 100 g Les vergers Boiron Raspberry purée

• 60 g sucrose
• 4 g pectin NH
• 1 g citric acid

Total weight: 465 g

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the purées and heat to 104°F (40°C).
2. Combine the sucrose and pectin and whisk into the purée. Bring to a boil, stirring continually.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the citric acid. Chill.
4. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic film and cool to room temperature. Mix to pipe-able consistency.

Basque Tart Dough

• 135 g unsalted butter, softened
• 100 g sucrose
• 2.5 g salt
• 70 g almond flour
• 50 g egg yolks
• 150 g all-purpose flour
• 2.5 g baking powder
• Egg wash, as needed

Total weight: approximately 500 g

1. Combine the butter, sucrose and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer; cream the mixture with the paddle attachment. Add the almond flour, and then slowly add the egg yolks one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl between each addition. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.
2. Chill the mixture and let it rest a minimum of one hour. Roll the dough with a liberal amount of flour to a thickness of 3 mm; cut two discs with a diameter of 22 cm and line 18 cm rings prepared with pan spray. Reserve chilled. Cut two additional discs measuring 18 cm and reserve chilled.
3. Pipe the Vanilla Cream into the lined shell, approximately two-thirds full, and freeze to set. Remove from the freezer and fill the remainder of the tart with the fig jam. Top with the smaller disc of dough and seal with egg wash. Freeze for a minimum of two hours, well wrapped.
4. Invert the tart and brush with the egg wash, score a cross-hatch pattern with a paring knife, and cut a vent hole into the top of each tart; bake at 320°F (160°C) in a convection oven with a low fan setting until golden brown, approximately 25-30 minutes.
5. Allow to cool slightly before removing the tart ring. Hold at room temperature for service.               

Raspberry Coulis

• 200 g Les vergers Boiron Raspberry purée
• 25 g invert sugar

Total weight: 225 g

1. Combine the raspberry purée and invert sugar in a small saucepan and gently heat. Maintain a simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and chill.

Assembly

• confectioner’s sugar
• pistachios, chopped
• fresh figs
• Vanilla Gelato
• Raspberry coulis

1. Once tarts are cooled, finish the tarts with the confectioner’s sugar, pistachios and fresh figs. Finish with Vanilla Gelato and Raspberry Coulis.

Fig-Hazelnut Bar

By Michael Laiskonis, Culinary Director, Boiron Americas

The natural sugar content of fig provides a perfect pairing with the deep caramel and roasted notes of hazelnut praline. The use of isomalt in the fig jam reduces the overall sweetness while still providing low water activity and increased shelf life.

Yield: approximately 20 pieces

Fig Jam

• 65 g Les vergers Boiron Fig purée
• 35 g Les vergers Boiron Apricot purée
• 15 g sucrose (1)
• 1.5 g yellow pectin
• 45 g sucrose (2)
• 45 g isomalt
• 30 g glucose syrup
• 1.5 g citric acid

Total weight: 238 g

1. In a small saucepan, combine the purées and heat to 104°F (40°C).

2. Combine the first measurement of sucrose (1) and the pectin and whisk into the purée. Bring to a boil, stirring continually.

3. Add the remaining sucrose (2), isomalt and glucose. Resume a boil.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the citric acid.

5. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic film and cool to room temperature. Mix to pipeable consistency and deposit into pre-cast bar molds.

Hazelnut Praline                                                                                                         

• 20 g cocoa butter, melted
• 20 g milk chocolate, melted
• 165 g hazelnut praline paste

Yield: approx. 200 g                                                                                                   

1. Add the melted cocoa butter and chocolate to the praline paste. Heat the whole mixture to 113°F (45°C).

2. Pour the praline mixture onto a marble, working briefly with an offset spatula to cool to 86°F (30°C).

3. Deposit into bar molds over the Fig Jam and allow to crystallize.

4. Seal the bonbon molds and allow them to crystallize fully before unmolding.

‘Petit Basque’

By Michael Laiskonis, Culinary Director, Boiron Americas

I’ll admit that even as a pastry chef, sometimes the last thing I’m looking for in a ‘last course’ is something sweet. While I think it’s important to always save room for dessert, I’m often swayed by the alternative of a composed cheese course. At the very least, I may even squeeze the cheese in before dessert!

From a creative perspective, a composed cheese plate allows an exciting opportunity to straddle the line that separates sweet from savory. The cheese is the star of the show, of course, but the accompaniments we choose can play an important role as supporting actors. I often try to start with a palette of basic tastes – sweet, salty, bitter, acid – as inspiration and follow that with spice or heat; the balance of these elements will, of course, be determined by the flavors offered by the cheese itself.

To demonstrate this approach, we could start with a favorite of mine, Petit Basque. Produced in the French Pyrenees, it’s a semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese that is nutty, earthy, and occasionally accompanied by just a hint of ‘funkiness .’As I start to explore the range of supporting flavors at my disposal, I really need to look no further than the region the cheese hails from – the vibrant Basque country that incorporates parts of France and Spain.

Yield: approximately 12 composed cheese plates

Fig-Apricot Pâte de Fruit

• 200 g Les vergers Boiron Fig purée
• 50 g Les vergers Boiron Apricot purée
• 30 g sucrose (1)
• 4g yellow pectin
• 210 g sucrose (2)
• 40 g glucose syrup
• 3.5 g citric acid

Total weight: 537.5 g

1. Place the purées into a large, heavy saucepan and heat to 104°F (40°C).
2. Combine the first measurement of sucrose (1) and the pectin and whisk into the purées. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continually.
3. Add the remaining sucrose (2) and glucose in multiple additions; continue to cook to a final temperature of 223°F (106°C).
4. Remove from heat and stir in the citric acid.
5. Immediately pour into a plastic-lined 12 cm square frame and allow to set.

Marcona Almond Praline

• 56 g unsalted butter
• 85 g sucrose
• 12 g glucose syrup
• 12 g water
• 40 g Marcona almonds (roasted and salted), ground

Total weight: 205 g

1. Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sucrose, glucose syrup and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 300°F (150°C).
2. Remove from heat, stir in the almonds, and spread out onto a Silpat® lined half-sheet pan or marble to cool and harden.

Peach Vinegar Gastrique

• 125 g sucrose
• 25 g water
• 45 g peach vinegar
• 25 g Les vergers Boiron White Peach purée

Total weight: 220 g

1. Combine the sucrose and water to moisten in a small saucepan. Cook to a very light caramel color.
2. Remove from heat, and slowly add the vinegar and purée. Return to heat and cook to dissolve any hardened bits of sugar. Continue to cook to 221°F (105˚C). Allow to cool.

Assembly

• Fig-Apricot Pâte de Fruit
• Petit Basque
• Marcona praline
• Marcona almonds, whole
• Confit lemon peel
• Peach Vinegar Gastrique
• Nasturtium leaf
• Spanish pimentón

1. Cut a thin slice of the Fig-Apricot Pâte de Fruit and place on the plate. Arrange the sliced Petit Basque, broken Marcona praline, whole almonds and pieces of lemon confit on and around the pâte de fruit.
2. Finish with a few drops of the Peach Vinegar Gastrique, nasturtium leaf, and pimentón.

(This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)