Fig Heaven: 70 Recipes for the World's Most Luscious Fruit (Hardcover)

by Marie Simmons (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Most Americans recognize figs only from the thick, sweet, gummy filling of mass-produced cookies. But anyone who has relished the honeyed interior of a perfectly ripe fresh fig understands why the ancients so prized this fruit. Nowadays green and black fresh figs appear seasonally in supermarkets. Simmons recognizes that the prime time for fresh figs is brief, so her book includes recipes for both fresh and dried varieties in her compilation of fig recipes. Appetizer ideas include the ubiquitous figs with prosciutto, but then go beyond that to such savories as crostini with fig jam and goat cheese, and bacon-wrapped figs first poached in wine. In main dishes, figs serve as a sweet note in spicy curries or as star of a very contemporary salsa. Few desserts surpass the elegant spectacle of a fresh fig tart, the glazed split fruits sparkling like jewels within a sea of pastry cream. And for those nostalgic for the commercial stuffed cookie, Simmons explains how to make superlative Fig Newtons at home. Color illustrations contribute both beauty and utility. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
They come fresh or dry, in yellow or purple, from California and Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. They are in restaurants, supermarkets, fruit stands, backyards, and inside some very famous cookies. What are they? They're figs -- one of America's favorite fruits.

From Mission and Kadota figs to Adriatic and Calimyrna varieties, award-winning cookbook author Marie Simmons leaves no fig or fig leaf unturned in this extraordinary book about this most extraordinary fruit: Fig Heaven.

Figs are harvested in late summer and early fall, but, fortunately for us, they are easily dried and packaged, so they're available all year long. Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, plump, fragrant figs are guilt-free indulgences that can be enjoyed in countless ways.

Fig Heaven is an inviting, comprehensive cookbook offering 70 recipes for both fresh and dried figs. They range from appetizers, salads, and sandwiches to entr#233;es and desserts.

On the savory side, you'll find Open-Faced Dried Fig and Melted Blue Cheese Sandwiches; Fettuccine with Fresh Figs, Lemon, and Rosemary; and Lamb Pilaf with Artichokes and Dried Figs. If your sweet tooth needs some real satisfaction, there's a Fresh Fig and Peach Crumble, Dried Fig and Walnut Biscotti, and Molten Chocolate Roasted Figs with Vanilla Custard Sauce.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks (May 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006053849X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060538491
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #189,900 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Figs, July 6, 2004

By	Jessica Ferguson "threelittlebirds" (Woodbury, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An absolutely incredible book on figs - from the mythical and biblical history to the botany and cultivation to the recipes, Fig Heaven is the definitive fig cookbook. For those of us without access to fresh figs on a regular (if ever) basis, Simmons supplies recipes that utilize a number of dried figs that are available year round in most larger grocery and specialty stores. Recipes are easy to follow and very good! From simple salads, desserts and even preserves to my favorite dinner (chicken, couscous, and dried fig salad with toasted almonds)Simmons covers a range of tastes and styles.

A fabulous gift book, especially if you can give it along with a young fig tree! Perfect for a new home owner or newlywed!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So you have a fig tree..., September 21, 2006

By	J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

After buying a house with a large fig tree in the winter, my wife and I were astounded to see the size of the crop that appeared come the summer. So what do you do after you've begged all of your friends to come over and take bags of figs home, made fig-strawberry jam, eaten figs with cheese until you can't any more, and still have piles on the tree and higher piles on the ground? You run out and buy the Fig Heaven cookbook of course! With 70 excellent recipes, you will surely find many an excellent idea, from fig pinenut pasta to fig,green tomato, purple onion salad. Of course, you will still have enough figs so that your friends can take home all they want, but you will also fill your summer table with delectable dishes!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful!, May 29, 2007

By	L. Brooks (pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a wonderful book to add to my cookbook collection. Frest figs are not plentiful where I live but I love them! Now, thanks to this great book, I now have many inventive and delicious ways to prepare this fruit, dried or fresh-all year round! Kudos to Marie Sommons!