Grilled figs with orange cashew cream

March 3, 2014

We've got a little spice grinder attachment for our blender blade, and it's helped me turn out some really smooth cashew-based cream sauces in the last year. With figs currently, briefly in season I figured I'd transfer this trick to dessert and tinker with the ricotta-stuffed fig recipe I made this time last year.

It took more soy milk than I expected to form the cashew cream - I think the blender just needed a larger volume of ingredients to reach the blades, and thankfully the cream was still thick enough to dollop onto the fig halves. It even coloured up a little under the grill, just like the ricotta I'd used previously.

I think the star of this recipe is the Cointreau-spiked orange syrup, and I didn't make quite enough this time around. I'd recommend doubling the orange juice for sure; double the Cointreau too if you dare.

Grilled figs with orange cashew cream
(adapted from this recipe)

1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1/3 cup soymilk
juice and zest of 1 orange (I'd juice two oranges next time)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon Cointreau
4 fresh figs

Cover the cashews in water and soak them overnight. Drain the cashews and blend them with the soymilk, orange zest, vanilla and salt, until they're completely smooth.

In a small saucepan, stir together the orange juice, sugar and Cointreau over medium heat. Continue to simmer this sauce until it has reduced by half, around 5-10 minutes.

Slice the figs in half and spoon the cashew mixture onto their cut sides. Arrange the figs cream-side-up in a heat-proof flat dish (I use a pie dish) and gently pour over the orange syrup. Place the dish under a grill until the figs are warm and the cream is a little golden, then serve two or more halves per person with a spoonful of syrup.