My fig tree seem to produce about 10 ripe figs every few days so this is perfect for my blogging needs LOL.  Most recipes call for 8-12 figs and you have to use them within a day or so or they will go bad so this has been working well for me.  This recipe for fruit leather I have always wanted to try and it was soooo super easy and really delicious.  My kids ate it all in a matter of minutes.  One batch really didn't yield very much so next time I will have to double or triple the recipe so I have more to store for a few days.  Also next time I will dry the fruit leather on parchment paper so I can cut it up including the paper and roll it up so it won't stick on itself when it's stored.   I can't wait to try other fruit versions of this, so great and no added sugar (honestly with the figs I didn't even really need the honey at all).  You can find the original recipe at Mama.Papa.Bubba

 

Ingredients:

10 ripe figs, washed and halved
2 apples, cored and peeled
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:

Preheat oven to the lowest setting.  Mine oven only goes down to 170 degrees F but 125 degrees F would be better.   Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (paper should cover all edges of the pan) or you could cover the entire pan including edges with foil an then place a silpat liner on top of the foil. 

Place figs, apples and water in a covered pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer fruit, covered for about 30 minutes, or until very soft and water is absorbed.  Pour everything into a food processor or good blender and purée until smooth.  Pour fruit mixture out onto parchment-lined baking sheet and use the back of a spatula to spread the fruit purée out so it covers the entire base of the pan. Shake the pan make the purée as even as possible.  The edges tend to be much thinner and will dry out fast than the middle if you don't get it spread out evenly to the edges.
Put pan in the oven for approximately 8 hours if on 125 degrees F.  I set mine for 7 hours and check since my oven temp is higher and it only actually took 6 hours at 170 degrees F so definitely check yours around 5 1/2 hours. 

You want to remove the fruit leather from the oven when it’s still sticky to the touch, but not at all wet.  You may find that part of your fruit leather will be done earlier than the rest.  In this case,  you’ll need to remove the fruit leather from the oven, cut off the finished part, and return the still wet to the touch part to the oven for another hour or two.  It's done when the leather will peel easily off of the liner and the bottom side will be shiny.

When finished, simply remove the large sheet of fruit leather from the baking sheet, cut of the excess parchment paper around the edges, and cut directly through both the remaining parchment and fruit leather to create strips.  Roll strips and store in an air-tight container.
Enjoy!

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I absolutely love fig jam and preserves served with cheese, so delicious.   So when I picked a few more figs this morning this was the first thing I wanted to make.  Not sure if this technically classifies as jam or preserves because there is no pectin in this recipe but it's sweet and thick and perfect to spread on toast so in my book it's close enough :)  It definitely won't have the shelf life of the preserves that you buy in the store so make it just a day or so ahead of the time you want to use it.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup fresh figs, diced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

 

Preparation:

 

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients.  Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Use an immersion blender directly in hot pan to puree the fig mixture into a smoother (but not completely smooth) consistency.  Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until completely cool. 

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This is a great idea that I got from my friend Maria.  She made it last year for Thanksgiving and posted a picture on Facebook and I knew it would be a big hit at the kids table for Thanksgiving.  The only change I made was to replace the cheese cubes with pineapple chunks since we always have a kosher Thanksgiving dinner and we can't serve cheese with a meat meal.  The kids LOVED this.  They sat at the table and started eating it as their "appetizer".

Ingredients:

1 small round watermelon

1 bunch of red grapes

2 cans of pineapple chunks

1 bosc pear

2 mini marshmallows

1 slice of red bell pepper

1 slice of yellow or orange bell pepper

long skewers

tooth picks

Preparation:

Begin by placing the watermelon in a small bowl so it won't roll around.  Attach pear to the front of watermelon by using a few tooth picks.  Stick tooth picks halfway into watermelon and then push the pear onto the toothpicks to hold it in place.  Attach the marshmellow eyes using one toothpick per eye.  Next cut the red pepper into a "gobbler" shape and attach to side of pear with a toothpick.  Do the same with the yellow or orange pepper for the turkey's beak.  Prepare the "feathers" by alternating between grapes and pineapple about 2/3 of the length of a skewer.  I made all the fruit skewers in advance and kept them on a covered sheet pan with foil in the refrigerator to stay cold until just before all the family arrived.  About 15 minutes before I placed all the fruit skewers into the top and back of the watermelon to look like feathers.

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