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Food & Nutrition
Figs are tasty and very healthful
By Nancy Weir
R«qton«l N«w»p«pr»
Generations ago, cold weather
meant the fading of fresh fruit from
the marketplace. Chewy dried fruits
took over as the sweet treats of the
winter season.
Today, however, controlled atmo
sphere warehousing has made fresh
fruits such as apples and oranges
available anytime. On the flip side,
dried fruits such as raisins and prunes
have lost their seasonality too and be
come 12-month staples.
Dried figs, however, still retain an
association with cool weather
cooking.
These intensely sweet, crunchy
seeded fruits make flavorful addi
tions to stuffings for roasted pork or
poultry. They add texture and sweet
ness to holiday quick breads and ev
eryday muffins. They lend body to
warm, spiced fruit compotes.
Besides being tasty, they 'also are
healthful. Figs are an excellent
source of fiber. On the United States
Department of Agriculture list of
fruits, figs have more total dietary fi
ber than any other fresh or dried fruit,
including prunes.
Better yet, figs contain both soluble
and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is
thought to help reduce blood choles
terol, while insoluble fiber helps pre
vent constipation and is believed to re
duce the risk of colon cancer.
Figs also are a good source of potas
sium (even better than bananas), and
supply some calcium, iron, vitamin
86, magnesium and copper.
Make no mistake, though, dried figs
are a concentrated source of calories.
A half-cup serving contains 220 calo
ries, compared to 123 calories for a
fresh apple. However, these calories
come from complex carbohydrates
that provide fiber and nutrients too, in
contrast to the simple sugars of candy
and soft drinks. Also, when figs are
chopped up and added to cooked items
that will make many servings, the
number of calories per serving from
figs drops.
At the Atlanta Athletic Club in Du
luth, Ga., executive chef Ray Farmer
likes to include figs in a dried fruit
stuffing for lean pork tenderloin or
Cornish game hens. He also makes a
warm fig compote, similar to poached
apples, that can be spooned next to
slices of pork roast or chops.
Other ways of using dried figs in
clude adding them to trail mix, cook
ies, or oatmeal, serving them as appe
tizers with a blue cheese spread, or
including them in a fruit salad. When
baked in muffins, quick breads or
cakes, figs help keep these products
moist because of their natural ability
to attract moisture from the air.
Figs move into the spotlight at this
time of year, when grocery stores dis
play them along with other dried
fruits and candied fruits for holiday
baking.
Pouches of whole or cut up Cali
myma or Mission figs from California
are readily available year-round. Cel
lophane-wrapped rings of dried figs
from Mediterranean countries usual
ly appear only at Christmas time.
4th Annual
Christmas
Cook
Section
Do you have a favorite recipe
you have always wanted to share
with friends or family?
If so, the Forsyth County News
is now offering you the chance to
share that recipe and at the same
timft win a prize in the Fourth An
nual Christmas Cook Section.
The recipes will be published on
Dec. 13 and the entry deadline is
Dec. 7.
There are several categories:
Best Dessert with a $25 prize;
Best Main Course with a $25 prize
and the Best Overall has a SSO
prize.
When submitted, all recipes
should be typed or printed
clearly.
Bring or mail the recipes to the
Forsyth County News, P.O. Box
210, Cumming , Ga. 30130.
Close to 100 percent of the commer
cial dried figs grown in the United
States are raised in California.
This year’s crop was a good one, ac
cording to third-generation fig grower
Paul Mesple. Harvested between
mid-August and mid-October, the 1989
fig crop is expected to weigh in at
close to 13,000 tons. Annual crops have
increased several thousand tons in the
past three or four years, thanks to ad
ditional fig trees that were planted 15
years ago. They are now beginning to
produce significant amounts of fruit.
Figs are allowed to ripen on the
tree. When they are fully ripe, they
drop to the ground.
“The ground has been cleaned of
weeds and sucks, so the figs drop
down onto a nice surface that is al
most as smooth as blacktop,” said
Mesple. “Then we come through with
picking machines that rake the figs
out into the center of a field to finish
drying in the sun if they need to (about
three days). Then they’re brought
into sorting sheds.”
Figs are sorted by quality, with bad
figs being plucked out and put into
cattle feed. Good figs are sent to pro
cessors for washing and packaging.
Get acquainted with the varied
cooking possibilities of flavorful, fi
ber-full dried figs by trying several of
these recipes:
To chop figs easily, put them in a
food processor with a bit of the sugar
or flour called for in a recipe and pulse
the processor on and off several
times. To chop by hand, use kitchen
scissors or a very sharp knife dipped
frequently in hot water to prevent
sticking.
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Cumming, GA 30130
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FRESH FIG COMPOTE
4 medium fresh figs
1 cup port wine
1/4 cup sugar
Dash cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons com starch
Cut figs into wedges, about 6 to 8 per
fig. Place into a small saucepan with
3/4 cup port wine, sugar, cinnamon,
pecans and chicken broth. Simmer for
4 to 5 minutes. Mix com starch into
remaining port wine until completely
dissolved. Slowly add corn starch
mixture to the saucepan, stirring
slowly until completely incorporated.
Allow to simmer 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Remove from heat. Reserve till pork
is cooked. Spoon onto plate with sliced
pork tenderloin.
FIG BRAN MUFFINS
3 eggs
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup honey
3 1/2 cups bran cereal
11/2 cups milk
2 1/4 cups flour (can be all or par
tially whole wheat)
11/4 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking soda
11/3 cups chopped dried figs
In a small bowl, blend together
eggs, oil and honey. In large mixing
bowl, combine bran with milk. Let
stand 5 minutes. Add egg mixture to
bran, and blend lightly. Mix in flour,
cinnamon, soda and figs. Spoon into
paper-lined or greased muffin pan
cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30
minutes. Makes 24 muffins.
CRANBERRY FIG BARS
12 oz. package cranberries
1 cup snipped dried figs
6 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups oatmeal
11/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
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Cranberry Fig Bars (top) are a tart-sweet monds and figs fill Honey Fig Acorn
accompaniment for a holiday tea. Al- Squash with a sweet crunch (left).
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted
Lemon Glaze
In a saucepan, combine cranber
ries, figs and honey. Cook, covered,
over low heat 15 minutes, until cran
berries pop, stirring often. Stir in
vanilla.
In large mixing bowl, stir together
flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, soda,
cinnamon and salt. Blend in butter.
Pat half of oat mixture on bottom of
8x13x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350
degrees for 8 minutes. Spread filling
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS —WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER «, 1989-
over baked layer. Sprinkle remaining
oat mixture evenly on top, pat gently.
Return to oven and bake 20 minutes
longer until golden. Cool on wire rack.
For Lemon Glaze: In medium bowl,
combine 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered
sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice,
gradually adding juice until it reaches
spreading consistency. Drizzle over
top. Cut into 28 bars.
FIG QUICK BREAD
1 cup dried figs
2 cups all-purpose white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
11/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
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2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup margarine
11/2 tablespoons white vinegar plus
enough milk to measure 11/2 cups
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or
pecans
Covet figs with boiling water, let
stand 10 minutes; drain and dry on
towel. Clip off stems and cut figs into
thin strips. Sift white flour with bak
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