They keep me thinking that we almost had it all

[venta]

Yesterday I took myself for a little wander round Kew Gardens. In between the exciting plants and inconvenient rainshowers, I paused in the café and bought myself a cake and some pop. The cake I bought was a strange-looking thing, rather like a small, dense pain au chocolat. It was, I discovered, actually a giant fig roll.

I presume the giant fig roll is a rare species which Kew is busy conserving. Anyway, I approve. But it has suddenly been revealed to me that I could make fig rolls. I could make giant ones! And eat them all myself!

Anyway... I've had a quick google, and there seem to be a variety of different approaches. The BBC - normally a pretty reliable source of recipes - wants me to boil dried figs with rosewater and brandy. They can sod right off; everything made with rosewater is disgusting. Fact.

Some website or other reckons it's ok to boil the figs in plain water; but they put me off by describing the result as "almost better than shop-bought!" If it's not going to be frankly quite a lot better, then why am I bothering? Fig rolls aren't exactly pricey in your average supermarket[*]. Plus they reckon wholemeal flour, which sounds a bit worthy to me. And the picture looks even more like dog biscuits than normal fig rolls.

Waitrose think I should use fresh figs - but they would, wouldn't they. They also reckon orange zest (boo!) and grated ginger (hurray!)

I imagine I'm likely to read a bunch of recipes and then ignore them all selectively. But I am curious to know if anyone has an opinion on the fresh/dried fig dilemma. Or if anyone has ever successfully made them?

[*] And they are especially cheap in Lidl, but beware! Lidl fig rolls are vile.

Comments

[metame.livejournal.com]

Never paid for fresh figs, but ones straight off the tree are full of flavour (it's a taste I took a while to acquire but that most of my family love, so got plenty of exposure).

Could be another issue caused by storage, and need to pick them unripe and hope to bring them on in transit?

Hmm, ....

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Could well be.

My previous experience of fresh figs was from a tree in my grandpa's garden (he lived in the South of France, hence the "in this country" above). Those were amazing. Don't know what exactly accounts for the difference.

[metame.livejournal.com]

Sunnier/warmer countries definite give you more and larger figs, but they seem to ripen pretty well here given any sustained decent weather and the end product is just as good.
Probably also worth noting that the fig trees I know have all been in the very South of England, and from an individual tree nurtured by my very green-fingered Grandfather.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

We get pretty decent figs on our tree here, so you might well do in Oxford if you have a sunny spot. You have to keep the tree watered when it's small, and protect from frost, but it pretty much looks after itself once established.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the supermarkets are somehow managing to make tasty things mediocre. Ho hum, wouldn't be the first time!