Figs Poached In Port Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put figs in an 8-inch square ceramic or glass baking dish. Pour port, wine, honey, and orange juice over figs. Submerge remaining ingredients in the liquid around figs. Cover dish with foil, and bake 1 hour.
• Remove foil; continue to bake 45 minutes more, basting 2 or 3 times with accumulated juices. Let cool completely, turning figs occasionally to keep moist.
• Transfer figs to a plate. Pour liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for fig vinaigrette. Discard solids. Figs can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Combine the port sugar, vanilla pods and seeds, cinnamon, orange peel and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer until the liquid has the consistency of a light syrup, about 20 minutes. You will have about 1 1/2 cups of syrup. Add the figs and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the figs in the syrup. Serve the figs in a bowl with their juices spooned over.

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, lemon peel, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, star anise, and cardamom in a small, deep saucepan. Place pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Cover, and simmer 20 minutes more.
• Add whole figs to the syrup; return to a simmer, cover, and poach gently until the figs are soft but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer figs and syrup to a bowl, and let stand to cool, until no more steam rises. When cool, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Combine mascarpone and confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Slit vanilla bean lengthwise, and, using a small paring knife, scrape out the seeds into the bowl with the mascarpone mixture. Stir together with a spoon or rubber spatula until well combined.
• Remove chilled figs from the refrigerator, and let stand until room temperature. Transfer figs to another bowl, and strain syrup, discarding the solids.
• Place 2 figs, sliced in half, in the center of each plate. Spoon some of the poaching liquid to cover plate, and place a dollop of vanilla mascarpone next to figs.

Steps:

• Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until figs soften, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer figs to bowl. Increase heat to high and boil poaching liquid until syrupy and reduced to 1 1/3 cups, about 20 minutes. Pour syrup over figs in bowl. Cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Scoop ice cream into dessert goblets. Remove star anise and vanilla bean from fig mixture. Spoon figs and syrup over ice cream and serve.
• Brown star-shaped seedpods available at Asian markets and specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some supermarkets.