Fig Holiday Roll Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Butter an 18-by-12-inch jelly-roll pan. Line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Place figs, dried currants, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, place mixture in the bowl of a food processor, and process until it is a thick paste (it should not be completely smooth). Set aside.
• Sift flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Tear bread into small pieces; place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until even crumbs form, about 10 pulses, to yield about 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs.
• Place eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on high speed until frothy. Add reserved fig mixture, breadcrumbs, kumquats, ginger (if using), and melted butter. Mix until combined. With mixer on low speed, add reserved flour mixture; mix until just combined.
• Bring about 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Using an offset spatula, spread batter as evenly as possible in prepared pan. Cover pan loosely with buttered aluminum foil, and place on middle rack in oven. Place a baking pan filled with the boiling water on rack beneath cake. Bake until cake is springy and a cake tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking time. Remove from oven, and set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Lay a clean kitchen towel and a sheet pan over cake, and invert cake onto towel. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Roll gently, using towel as a guide, curling the cake without applying too much pressure, to prevent excessive cracking. Allow roll to remain wrapped in towel for 10 minutes. Unroll, and cool to room temperature. Don't worry if there are some breaks in the cake; once filled it can be rolled with cracked pieces on bottom.
• Make the filling: Combine mascarpone, cream, and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; fold until smooth. Place mixture in refrigerator until ready to use; it will be easier to roll cake if cheese mixture is cold. Using an offset spatula, spread chilled mascarpone mixture evenly over unrolled cake. Roll up again inside kitchen towel, forming a 17 1/2-inch-long log: Leaving the cake ends exposed, bring the towel's edges up over the top of the cake, and roll, applying pressure to the sides. Secure with clothespins or plastic binder clips to make a cylindrical log shape. Chill rolled cake for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
• Just before serving, trim off ends of the cake, forming a 16-inch-long log. Slice into 1-inch-thick servings. Garnish with red currants, candied kumquats, and raspberry coulis, if desired.

Steps:

• To Make Dough: Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt. Blend in flour and baking powder by hand. Knead dough until smooth and workable. Add milk to reach workable consistency. (This takes a while and you will get a workout, but you'll know when it's right.)
• To Make Filling: Cut up figs, orange, and apple into small pieces. (It is easier to grind this way). Grind figs, raisins, orange, and apple. If the mixture is too dry or thick, mix in up to 1 cup of water, if desired. (I do not use the water, the juice from the apple and orange are enough). The spices and chopped nuts are added to the ground fig mixture. After the fig mixture is ground, I sprinkle them in over the mixture and mix (knead) it in by hand. STICKY! But good.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll out some dough. (should be kind of thin). Put fig mixture in a line. Wrap dough over mixture, sealing figs inside dough. Trim to desired length, using a diagonal cut. Make small diagonal slits in the sides of the cookies. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes. (Dough makes good cookies without the filling also). Wonderful with coffee.

Steps:

• Combine sugar, berries, and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low; cook until sugar is dissolved, about 8 minutes. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush down any sugar crystals on the side of the pan. Remove from heat; cool completely. Place mixture in the jar of a blender; puree until smooth. Pass through a fine-mesh colander, and discard solids.