SpiceLines

At the moment the figs are rock hard and green, but being a tricky fruit, I know they are liable to swell up and split open, dripping honeyed juices, the moment I look away.

What would happen if I combined fresh figs and bay leaves?

At moments like this, my go-to reference is The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It’s actually a flavor encyclopedia, with lists arranged alphabetically by ingredient—say, PASSION FRUIT—that detail all the other ingredients that enhance its taste. Made in heaven pairings are in bold caps—as CREAM AND ICE CREAM—while lesser but still great matches are lowercase bold—as bananas or caramel. Good but not home run flavor combinations rate a simple mention—say cilantro (who knew?) or rum, esp. dark.

Anyway, FIGS, FRESH had not a mention of bay leaves, but HONEY and VANILLA were writ large. And lemon: juice, zest was not far behind. No surprise: I used all these ingredients a few years ago in a delicious recipe for Stewed Turkish Figs with Honey, Vanilla and Lemon Thyme.

But something made me flip to the back of the book and check out VANILLA. There it was: an affinity with bay leaf. Not only that, but Gina DePalma, pastry chef at Babbo and author of Dolci Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen, is quoted as follows: “Vanilla and fresh bay leaf bring each other alive, it is a fantastic combination. Bay leaf is very sweet; it is like a truffle in that it is more about the aroma than the flavor.”

That was good enough for me. Luckily, I knew just where to get the fresh leaves: the parking lot at Whole Foods. Even though most of the potted herbs are currently in a death-wilt due to 100 degree heat, the six-inch bay trees were just as perky and fit as if they’d been on a spa vacation. I bought two, one for cooking the figs, the other to plant in the pot that recently held the late, lamented kaffir lime.

Most bay leaves used in cooking are imported from Turkey, where the Laurelus nobilis—a medium tree with dense, dark, evergreen foliage—flourishes. The dried leaf has a light pine-like scent with hints of camphor; typically it is used to season dishes that require long, slow cooking such as soups, stews and braises. Bay is the must-have ingredient in bouquet garni, the bundle of herbs used to flavor boeuf bourguignon, blanquette de veau and bouillabaisse.

Fresh bay leaves get no respect, however. Tony Hill, owner of World Spice Merchants in Seattle, writes in his Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs & Spices that “the dry leaves and their concentrated flavors work better in the kitchen.” Ian Hemphill, author of The Spice and Herb Bible, is more adamant: “Fresh bay leaves…have a pungent warm aroma with fresh camphor notes and a sharp, lingering astringency. The flavor is similarly pungent, sharp, bitter and persistent.”

But fresh bay leaves are an alchemical addition to ripe figs simmered in honey with whole vanilla bean and strips of lemon zest. The marriage of vanilla, lemon and bay not only imparts a delicate floral flavor to the fruit—I used both Brown Turkey and Mission Black figs in this recipe—but the astringency of the leaf balances what could be a cloyingly sweet dish.

And how did the fig juices get that lovely, light peppery taste? The fresh bay, I’m willing to bet.

These are definitely dessert figs, to be eaten on their own or with a dollop of crème fraiche or a drizzle of heavy cream. Even better, spoon them over a dish of homemade vanilla ice cream. Better yet, chop them up and stir the pieces into the ice cream base before freezing. Save one or two to top each serving and trickle a spoonful of the reserved juices over it all.

A noble dessert, indeed.

Honeyed Figs with Fresh Bay Leaf, Vanilla and Lemon Zest

Be sure to use true bay laurel (Laurelus nobilis) leaves. California bay leaves (Umbellularia californica) are also in the laurel family, but have “a serious menthol aroma,” says Tony Hill. Although they can be used in the kitchen, they tend to “leave behind an overpowering camphorous, medicinal taste.”

To serve 4

Ingredients:

16 to 20 fresh, ripe, plump figs (I used Brown Turkey and Black Mission, but almost any ripe fig will do)
4 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons water
2 vanilla beans
2 strips of lemon zest, ½ inch wide by 2 inches long
2 large or 4 small fresh bay laurel leaves
Crème fraiche, heavy cream, or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Method:

1. Gently rinse the figs and pat dry. Leave the stems intact, but snip off the ends if they have turned black. Set aside.
2. If you are using two types of figs, cook them separately: Set two small saucepans on the stove. Into each put 2 tablespoons of honey and 3 tablespoons of water. Slit the two vanilla beans lengthwise. Scrape the seeds from a bean into each pan; cut each pod into 2 or 3 pieces and add to the pans. Divide the lemon zest between the two pans.
If you are using one kind of fig, use a saucepan large enough to hold them comfortably in one layer. Add all of the honey, water, vanilla and lemon zest to the pan.
3. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and stir the mixture to dissolve the honey. When the liquid is barely simmering, add the figs and bay leaves to the pan—if you are using two pans, divide the leaves between them. Simmer very slowly, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the figs are soft all the way through but still hold their shape. Turn them frequently, using a spoon to keep from tearing the skin, so that they cook evenly on all sides.
4. When the figs are done, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Reserve 8 whole figs. Carefully cut the rest of them in half. Return all the figs to the cooking liquid, halved figs cut side down so they can drink up the delicious juices. After an hour or so, you can eat the figs, but they are even better if you refrigerate them in their liquid overnight and serve them the next day
5. To serve, put 2 whole figs and 4 or 5 halves in each dish and drizzle some of the cooking liquid over them. Serve plain, or with a spoonful of crème fraiche or heavy cream. You can also spoon them over vanilla ice cream, or add chopped pieces of the figs to the ice cream base before freezing, if you are making your own.