Figs are absolutely wonderful.

I was raised on  Fig Newtons and they were what I thought figs were…and in 1965 that was good enough. I could eat them by the case and never tire of the magic sweetness, and complex heady flavor of the fig.

It took me until I was in my 20s to actually try a real, dried fig…. and it was years after that before I tried a fresh one.

Dang. There was no turning back. Thing is that figs have a flavor that reminds me of dark chocolate, velvet, and long summer nights… it is just so deep and unending. Hard to explain. How do you explain the flavor of a fig?

Thing is that figs are more versatile than most people give them credit for. Yep. There IS life after Fig Newtons. You have to be careful that the flavors you put with the figs complement them and are not overwhelmed. That is the key..and it isn’t easy to do.

The Balsamic in these figs adds sweet tang and depth that balances the sweetness of the figs. The pepper adds another layer of flavor that leaves your tongue dancing. Once you put the fig mixture on a bed of cream cheese, and top with a little more cheese…well dang.

So you have these heavenly flavors but no texture contrasts. Think about this..all of that figgy goodness on a crunchy croustade. Now your talkin’. How easy is this appetizer? Very easy… and you can easily make this ahead and just spread it on the croustades a before serving time.

Elegant, easy, delicious. This is a recipe that you will use in so many ways it isn’t funny. Have fun with it…and try not to eat all the fig spread before you have the croustades made.

Balsamic and Black Pepper Figs

• 1 lb dried figs, chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 TBS. brown sugar
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper, or more to taste

1. Place figs in a pan with the balsamic, sugar, water, and black pepper.
2. Simmer until figs are soft and liquid is absorbed.
3. Taste and check for flavor.
4. Cool

Serious? Is that it? It sure is. Just spread baguette toasts with cream cheese, then a dollop of fig, and sprinkle with feta. It is absolutely amazing. Sweet and sour and tangy and  peppery; rich and creamy, and crunchy.

Great for those holiday appetizer buffets you will be attending before you know it. Great for parties. Great for snacks… Just do it.

images: Marye Audet

O.k.. seriously. What is not to like about a banana?  They are primo comfort food for almost everyone. You bite into  creamy, sweet yumminess and in return? You get a ton of potassium.

Gotta love bananas.

Have you noticed that bananas are not considered upscale? I mean not that many five star desserts start out with a banana. Nope. It is the afterschool, milk and cake crowd that loves these things. And so do I.

In fact, you may find this hard to believe BUT my family once ate a whole case of bananas in two days….and lived to tell the tale.

If you love banana you are going to adore this cake. While I was baking it the whole house was banana scented. The flavor is intensely banana with a hint of rum. And, moist? Listen, if this was a state it would be Washington, o.k.?

This cake is moist. The texture changes from the tender cake to the crunchy walnuts and the creamy frosting make it interesting. Drooling yet?

The walnuts in the filling are cuddled (yes cuddled!) by a thick, sweet, rich caramel that is just thick enough to hold them together without being so thick you have to chew it.

The cream cheese frosting is rich and creamy and the slight tang from the cream cheese adds a nice flavor contrast to the sweet caramel. But, do not be fooled…it is definitely the banana that stars in this show.

This is an old fashioned cake. It isn’t fancy, or difficult but it is really, really good. I promise.

C’mon… you know you want some of this….

Old Fashioned Banana Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup very ripe mashed bananas (let them get almost liquid in the peel..seriously)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. rum extract
• 1/3 cup sour cream with enough heavy cream added to make 1/2 cup total

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients.
4. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each.
6. Beat in the banana.
7. Add the vanilla and rum extracts.
8. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Spoon into pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
10. Cool in pan 10 minutes and then turn out to cool completely.
11. When completely cool cover one layer with filling. Add second layer.
12. Frost with the cream cheese frosting and garnish with walnuts.

Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbs flour
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk or light cream
• 3 tbs unsalted butter

Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens. Ad 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup of chopped toasted walnuts, and a pinch of salt. Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 - 8 oz packages of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tbs vanilla

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese until well blended and fluffy.
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar and continue to beat until smooth. You may need to add a bit more or less than specified.
3. Beat in the vanilla.

images: marye audet

I love old recipes. I like finding them in the vintage cookbooks I adore…especially if they are handwritten in the fly leaf. Country Captain is one of these. There just aren’t many people that don’t love it once they taste it - an old, old recipe for a chicken curry type dish that has been popular in the Deep South for over 150 years.

What I wanted to see was if I could make it work in a slow cooker and if I could spice it up just a little. I started with a recipe that I had seen in Saveur.

I used chicken breast. I realize that using whole chicken cut up will add more flavor because of the bones but I rarely by anything but chicken breast. My family eats chicken breast really well… sometimes other parts not so much. You can use a whole chicken, cut up or chicken thighs if you don’t want to use chicken breast.

I also used, yes, a full pound of bacon. The smoky flavor meshed well and because I was using chicken breast the extra fat was a good thing. I also added a little jalapeno for bite. In retrospect I think chipotle would have been better and I will do that next time. The flavors here are warm and fresh, exotic and comforting all at the same time. It is a nice introduction to curry flavor for those that have not had it before. I used my crockpot. It just made it simple and kept the kitchen cool.

Before the chicken went into the crockpot I dredged it in flour and sauteed it in the bacon fat. This gave it a great color and flavor that held throughout the cooking time. I really think it was an important step.

You want to serve this with rice or even couscous. The meat is tender and the vegetables slump together in a melange of warm camaraderie.  A sprinkle of toasted pecans on the top of each serving adds nice texture and a little flavor boost. I made my 6 qt crockpot full - but don’t worry… it freezes great!

Country Captain

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs pepper
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 lb bacon
• 3 Texas 1015 onions, chopped
• 2 Bell peppers, chopped
• 1 Yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 6 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
• 4 16 oz cans of diced organic tomatoes (really, it makes a difference in flavor)
• 3 heaping teaspoons of curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup currants
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans for garnish
• Rice to accompany the Country Captain

1. Cut the chicken breast in chunks
2. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne
3. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off excess. Set aside.
4. Chop the bacon up and cook it until crisp
5. Remove from the pan and reserve the  drippings
6. Sear the chicken in the hot bacon fat until golden on each side, but not cooked through. Remove from pan.
7. Saute the onions, celery, apples, and peppers in the same pan until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute for five more minutes. Set aside.
8. Pour the tomatoes into a crock pot.
9. Add the curry, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, bay leaf, and butter. Stir well.
10. Add the bacon, cooked vegetables, currants and chicken and stir.
11. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
12. To serve, spoon over rice. Sprinkle on toasted pecans and more currants.

Serves 18-20 easily (Makes 6 quart crockpot full)

images: marye audet (c)2010

There are really only two people who will eat shrimp in my house - Matt and me. I suppose if I DID do coconut shrimp they might try it…but  I am not sure it is worth the expense.

The other day I accidentally picked up chicken tenders rather than breast at Costco. I didn’t realize it until I had the package open and was ready to cook dinner. Being a woman of snap decisions and a strong survival instinct (you haven’t seen my kids when they are hungry,have you?) I decided that coconut chicken would be the way to go.  I briefly marinated the chicken in a little orange juice just to give it a little flavor. Next time I do it I think I will marinate it in pineapple juice…

Pat it dry and do a quick breading… toss it into the pan to fry and you are looking at less than thirty minutes from start to finish. This Clementine, Fennel and Pistachio salad would be a great addition to the meal and if you need carbs just add some couscous.  Dessert is easy too- what about vanilla ice cream with sliced mangos.

I like my Spicy Mango Habenero sauce to dip it in. That will not add any time but you have to remember to make it the night before.

Here is my entry this week for Real Food Real Quick. Hey, consider submitting an entry of your own next week, o.k.?

Coconut Chicken

Serves 8 or so

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/3 cup gingerale
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups flaked coconut, chopped
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 lbs Chicken tenders
• 1/3 cup peanut oil or more as needed

Instructions:

1. Heat oil to 350F in a large frying pan.
2. Beat eggs in medium bowl.
3. Combine egg, 1 cup flour, gingerale, salt and baking powder.
4. Place coconut and remaining flour in separate dishes.
5. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then dip in batter, then dredge through the coconut.
6. Fry in the oil until golden brown, turning once.
7. Drain on paper towel and transfer to baking sheet in a warm oven.
8. You can also make this in a deep fryer if you like.

images: marye audet

Welcome to the South, y’all.

If you have tried my Root Beer Pot Roast you know that there is nothing new to me about adding coke (this is what soda, pop, soft drinks are called at my house no matter what type) to a meat dish. I have this really rockin recipe for meatballs in gingerale…

Anyway… Back to pulled pork.

Pulled pork is this incredibly tender meat. It is called pulled because once it is cooked to perfection you take two forks and pull the meat apart, or shred it. Then it is piled onto a bun, a little barbecue sauce added, some cole slaw…and you have ya a sammich. Well, usually. Often I find that the actual meat is somewhat tasteless.

This isn’t at all. It is sweet, spicy, and just deliciously tender. And you can do this as long as you can procure a can of Dr. Pepper.

I use pork tenderloin rather than a less expensive cut of meat. You are paying a little more but there is  less waste, less fat, and  it is so much better. You can use a butt if you want or any large, boneless cut. But just once?  Try the tenderloin.

For the Pulled Pork

• 2 lbs of pork tenderloin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 can Dr. Pepper
• 1/2 cup raspberry chipotle bbq sauce
• Hamburger buns

Rub the meat with the pepper, salt, and  chiopotle and put it in a slow cooker. Add the whole can of Dr. Pepper and cook for 12 hours on low.

Shred with two forks.

Add the raspberry chipotle and mix well.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Mango Salsa

• 2 cups black beans, cooked and rinsed
• 2 very ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• a splash of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients and allow the flavors to mature for 20 minutes.

Now, all you do is pile a big ole spoonful of the meat on a hamburger bun, add a little of the juice from the slow cooker, and a spoonful of salsa.

Serves 8.

images (c) marye audet