“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” George Bernard Shaw
Facebook told us it’s the first day of spring last week – and every resident of the Indian continent had a few colourful words to share!
The heat has intensely burned down my motivation, and created havoc to my daily afternoon excursions – mood swings, exhaustion and general irritation has dominated the daytime. What worsens the day is scrolling through Pinterest and blogs celebrating spring time and spring recipes, filled with blooming flowers and pretty lemons.
And in serious defiance, my mood wants Christmas and all things pretty just to piss this heat off!
And in this scorching weather, my vegetable vendor brought me a box of beautiful ripe figs – which signals it’s still wintery cool somewhere – and it’s okay for an attempt at fake Christmas!
The fig is one of the most versatile fruits, filled with amazing goodness for your health and is a pleasant change to the usual suspects.
This recipe makes for a great and quick dessert, and can be made well ahead of time. It’s a cross between a cheesecake and a pudding – you can really call it whatever you like!
This dessert is made with a special touch of Christmas and everything that indicates December prettiness! The crust is an easy one, made from ginger snap biscuits, some walnuts, nutmeg and cinnamon. The butter and orange juice help combine the crust and keep it soft and easy to spoon into.
The mascarpone filling has some fresh ginger grated, which can be a strong taste for some, but with the orange juice and cinnamon adds a wonderful touch. If you are wary about this part, you could try some crystallized ginger for a softer hint.
The figs must be fresh, ripe and juicy for an ideal dessert.
Merry Christmas in advance!
The Recipe
Serves Yields: 4 | Prep Time: 60 mins | Chill Time: 40 mins
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 8-10 ginger snap biscuits
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 6 walnuts
- 3 tbsp cold butter
- 4 tsp orange juice
- Filling:
- 100 g mascarpone
- 4 tsp castor sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp grated ginger
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1-2 tbsp orange juice
- 6 fresh figs
- 8-10 hazelnuts, halved
Instructions
- Crust:
- Crush the biscuits and walnuts and stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg to create a fine crumble.
- Rub the butter into the mixture to create pie dough like crumbs.
- Divide the mixture equally into four and gently press down at the bottom of the serving cups to create a crust.
- Spread 1 tsp orange juice per cup on top of the crust.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 mins for the crust to set.
- Filling:
- Whisk the mascarpone with the milk, orange juice, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger.
- The mixture should be light and fluffy.
- Add some more milk if needed to get to your desired consistency.
- Assemble:
- Put a few spoons of the filling on top of the crust to create a thick layer.
- Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Cut the figs into halves.
- Toast the hazelnuts on a hot pan, without browning too much.
- Remove the pots from the fridge and place 2 or 3 fig halves on top and sprinkle some hazelnuts over.
- Serve chilled.
