Figs wrapped in Serrano ham are a classic Spanish tapas. In this recipe, I am making them with bacon. Throughout Spain, people go from bar to bar, drinking and eating lots of different small dishes, each dish meant to compliment the alcohol and stimulate the appetite. These figs and bacon are the perfect bite to have with a glass of good wine, small but very satisfying.
During the end of the summer, mission figs are at their sweetest and best. A ripe fig is very plump, almost bursting out of its thin, deep purple colored skin. The freshest figs make the best canapés but I have used some high quality frozen figs before with success, and this dish can also be made with dried figs or dates. The flavor of a fresh fig is unique – subtle, almost floral, and sweet like honey. Cooking the fig intensifies the flavors and caramelizes the sugars in the fruit.
I like to peel the skin off the figs with a small paring knife, as a simple way to refine this dish, and keep the stem on the fig to create a natural handle. That way you can remove the toothpick when the figs are ready and still be able to pick them up without getting your fingers too messy, easy to eat with one hand while still drinking with another and never stopping conversations with friends.
The bacon serves as a delicious and savory replacement skin. The strips should be of medium thickness – enough to cover the fig and get crispy but not too thick that it overwhelms the flavor or remains undercooked. When you cook the fig with the bacon, it confits. Confit is a term that means something has been cooked or preserved in fat. You see this term used a lot with duck but fruit can also be made confit. The bacon fat brings out flavors in the fruit that would not come out otherwise. It infuses it with its own salty, pork flavors while also showing off the sweetness of the fresh fruit.
This dish is a perfectly balanced bite of sweet and savory, with a tiny bit of spice from the finish of black pepper. The meaty bacon plus the sweet, floral, honeyed fig is such a good combination. You will find it will be hard to stop eating them.
Recipe: Mission Figs Wrapped in Bacon
Serves 412 figs, peeled
12 bacon slices
freshly ground black pepper
- Heat toaster oven to Broil.
- Wrap each fig in a strip of bacon, trimming the bacon as necessary, and secure with a toothpick.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the figs are tender.
- Season with black pepper and serve immediately
Mission Figs Wrapped in Bacon SAID...
[…] Original eric ripert […]
Anna SAID...
Ahhh, I had been thinking about trying this combination, as my small fig tree has been yielding about 25+ figs per day for the past two weeks. Perfect timing! Thanks for the post.
My friend makes the bacon-wrapped almond stuffed dates for parties and they are very popular (we call those A Date with a Pig or A Nutty Date with a Pig if the dates are almond stuffed). I think I’ll call the fig canapé A Fig in a Pig.
More foil-lined pans. No dishwasher? Drought?
Best recipes from around the web » Mission Figs Wrapped in Bacon SAID...
[…] eric ripert wrote a fantastic post today on “Mission Figs Wrapped in Bacon”Here’s ONLY a quick extractIn this recipe, I am making them with bacon. Throughout Spain, people go from bar to bar, drinking and eating lots of different small dishes, each dish meant to compliment the alcohol and stimulate the appetite. These figs and bacon are … […]
10Xbakeshop SAID...
Admittedly, I am a bit late to discovering this blog because I have been away from the internet for a few months. I am so glad to see you continuing the toaster videos. When I lived in a hovel in Queens for two years, I had a working range, but a non-functioning oven that’s only use was as an extra cupboard. This was an especially difficult circumstance for a baker and so I invested in a toaster oven and began a series of, usually failed, experiments. Stone fruits, figs, and dates however wrapped or stuffed in any number of ways became a mainstay and I was very glad to see this delicious recipe and demonstration.
Crispy on the Outside » Archive » This Week in Bacon SAID...
[…] three course meal fit for a (schizophrenic hyperactive infant) king. The fig/bcaon starter comes courtesy of Eric Ripert (thanks reader Jim). Your entree is a Beech-Nut’s patented […]
EPIpark SAID...
my neighbor’s fig tree grows over into my yard and I am lucky enough to pick fresh figs right at home - I just plucked a handful and can’t wait to try this recipe - thank you for the inspiration and giving me a new way to use my neighbor’s bounty!
Chef Theo SAID...
Made the figs wrapped in bacon (actually used proscuitto) and also the goat cheese truffles for my girlfriend’s recent 38th birthday. They were the starters for a meal followed by a classic caesar salad and an awesome bouillabaisse as the entree. We finished with a seasonal apple crumble. The apps were so full of flavor and easy that it indeed left time for me, the chef to enjoy my wine, the guests and most importantly, my girlfriend! Thanks Chef Eric!
MyLastBite SAID...
I am going to the market NOW! Such a simple, elegant little bite!
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