Sticky baked figs with lemon

A couple of years ago, my friends Frances and Mike gave me a fig tree in a large pot that had outgrown its allotted space. I already had one of my own so I was expecting bumper crops but that didn't really ever happen until this summer when, like so much of the fruit here, both fig trees have been absolutely laden.

If you don't grow your own figs, I urge you to - a perfectly ripe, juicy fig picked warm from the sun is nothing like anything you can ever buy. This recipe really makes the most of them - the figs get deliciously sticky when they're in the oven and their juices add to the sweet wine sauce to create an absolutely amazing dessert with virtually no effort (in other words, it's very much A Cook's Plot recipe!) I've used marsala here, but you could use a sweetish white wine, port or sherry, if you prefer. Serve it with mascarpone, cream, ice cream or even with custard.


Sticky baked figs with lemon

6-8 figs
100ml marsala
1 lemon, half the juice and all the zest
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g toasted flaked almonds

Put the figs in a baking dish. Mix the sugar with the marsala, lemon juice and zest and vanilla, and pour over. Sprinkle with the almonds and bake for 15 mins at 170C (fan oven) until soft and sticky.

Serves 3-4

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