During winter, citrus is at its peak. Orange, lemons, and lime with figs might be the equivalent of basil to tomatoes. Here’s why, including orange recipes with figs or featuring other citrus fruits.
Sometimes recipes call for a cook to “season to taste.” Unless, it stipulates a particular ingredient, this is a nod to taste your food and see if it needs more salt. Did you know though that acidic ingredients like citrus can sometimes be a better thing to reach for? Even best-selling author, Samin Nosrat says it all in the title of her first book: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat as the equalizers for creating the right harmony in cooking.
When creating flavor profiles with a sweet ingredient like Mission Dried Figs or Golden Dried Figs at the center, acid—in the form of citrus—helps create nuance to the sweetness. The brightness of lemon or lime balances. The softer acidic tones of orange melds in naturally with figs.
There are different ways to go about using citrus with figs too. This includes juicing lemons and oranges, which can be whisked into vinaigrettes or stirred into jam. Heating citrus juices is often done to rehydrate figs—the heat helps the juice better penetrate to the core of the fig fruit.
Then, sometimes, adding a few scrapes of citrus zest adds flavor without liquid and for more of a subtle nudge of citrus flavor. When trying to add in zest, a microplane allows for a tinier cut of the zest. If you’re planning to just infuse citrus flavor into a rehydrating liquid that doesn’t use citrus juice, then a vegetable peeler can achieve wider peels.
Which way do you tend to use citrus with figs most often? Here are some ideas to get you started.
Citrus Recipes with Figs
- Fig Orange Bundt Cake with Streusel
- Fig Cranberry Orange Quickbread
- Fig Orange Muffins
- Fig Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Chocolate Orange Fig S’mores
- Sweet Vermouth Figs with Orange Honey Mascarpone
- Cheesecake Mousse with California Fig Orange Sauce
- Fennel + Kale Salad with Figs in Orange Honey Dressing
- Fig, Fennel Salad with Oranges + Sweet Onions
- Quinoa Salad with Oranges, Ginger, Figs + Mint