Corn!Tomatoes!Figs!

I was strolling by the organic section in the Long Beach Trader Joes (which I never fully appreciated until I moved to Whittier, where the organic produce section is pitiful) and gasp! what's this? Figs?!?!?! I think I missed the fig train last summer - so it must have been over a year since I've had one of these beauties. Anywho - I promptly swiped the box and began eating them in the car ride over to the Slaughterhouse 511 (here). No one really calls it that anymore - but I'm reviving it.

So I've had these figs for like 4 days and they are starting to scream rather loudly and die. Thankfully Tyler and I had some friends over for dessert so I could at least make their death tasteful. I made these cookie fig things. My husband named them "Figgots" he also wanted to add something about "cream" to the title - but I'll leave it at that.

The week before I had some fun making vegan risotto which ended up tasting more like vegan rice-a-roni. Oh well. It was still good. I topped it with a sesame, honey and cumin drizzled over sautéed carrots, red bell pepper and chickpeas and paired it with an ear of roasted corn smeared with umeboshi paste and small tomato, hummus and basil canapés on bread I made with this recipe. I'm going to try this again with a homemade garlic broth base for the risotto and see if that works better than the vegetable stock I used (which I believe is the main culprit in turning my risotto into rice-a-roni). I'll post the full recipe once i get a chance to try it out again.

"Figgots"

These cookies are pretty easy - the art is really in assembly. I start with a vegan macaroon base, then add a little dark chocolate to keep the fig in place and then end with a dollop of coconut mint vanilla ice cream and top with an almond and mint. I used a basic vegan macaroon recipe i found here but swapped out the dates for dried figs (cheaper and more readily available to me). Makes 4.

• 8 dried figs (any kind of fig will do - I use a mixture of black and Turkish Smyrna Figs)
• 1 ripe banana (a good splattering of brown dots will do - I usually throw it in the fridge for about a day to really get the banana brown)
• 1 1/2 c. coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• 4 ripe small figs
• 4 small pieces of organic dark chocolate
• 5 T of Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island flavor ice cream
• 1 small bunch of mint leaves (try a new variation)
• 4 organic dry roasted almonds (walnuts or pecans would actually be a tad better in this recipe - roasted or raw)
• a drizzle of honey or agave

The first things we need to do is combine the coconut vanilla ice cream with the mint so that it has time to re-freeze while we're making the cookies. This recipe only calls for 5 T of the coconut ice cream - but you can pile on as much as you like. I like to use 3 medium sized mint leaves, mince the leaves into very small pieces and stir into the ice cream. Put in a small aluminum or ceramic bowl (to cool faster) and pop back into the freezer to set while you do this next part.

I use a vita-mix to make the cookie part of this recipe - but a food processor will do the trick as well. Start by cutting the stems off of the figs and then peel the banana. Drop the figs one by one into the running processor/blender - get them good and mushy before dropping the banana in there by sections. It should look like chunky baby food by now. Then slow the processor/blender down (you only want to mix in the coconut) and add your coconut. The mixture should be moist - not dry. It really depends on what kind of cookie you like - my husband loves them really moist...so i add a little less coconut. It really is up to you.

Drop them in little balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 325º for 10-15 minutes. The bottoms of the cookies should be a nice golden brown.

For normal macaroons - mound the coconut mixture into little haystacks - just like regular macaroons, but for this recipe - do them a little differently. Pat the mixture out into little round cookies (the dough is really easy to shape) and then make a well with the back of your spoon to keep the figs from rolling off. At the ten minute mark in the baking process - drop a piece of the organic dark chocolate into the well.

When the cookies are done, take them out of the oven and top with a fig. I sliced the figs lengthwise - almost through to the bottom to resemble a heart, this will make a nice resting place for your ice cream. Place the fig topped cookie in the fridge to let the chocolate set (15 minutes or so).

To assemble the cookies, scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of the ice cream mint mixture into the open cavity of the fig. Drizzle with honey (or agave) and then top with one mint leaf for garnish and an almond. I also shaved some of the leftover dark chocolate on top for added affect.

Pairs well with: Tawny Port, aged at least 5 years, We had Porto Morgado from Trader Joes which only put us back by 6 bucks...so I wasn't expecting much. It was alright and our guests enjoyed it - but if you are really trying to impress I'd go with something more like this. It's certainly a crowd pleaser.