Damiana Mission poché Figues et leur réduction naturelle avec gastrique cassis, gingembre Crème et Damiana Glace avec du pain pita!
It is fresh mission fig season! Fresh ripe mission figs are plump tender sweet little figs that have a very nice flavor. Fresh mission figs can be poached whole. The steam that is trapped under the fig's skin helps tenderize the fruit and bring out the flavor. The skin of a mission fig is thin enough to allow some of the poaching liquid flavor to penetrate.
Mission figs stain blue and the reduced poaching liquid has a pretty royal blue color. The blue color of the fig poaching liquid reduction looks nice when it is streaked with the damiana liquor reduction. I once listened to a culinary arts instructor state that there is no vegetable or fruit thats stains blue. Old culinary books say the same thing, but those antiquated opinions were written long before exotic fruits and vegetables became commonplace in markets.
Damiana is a medicinal herb that is native to the southwest, Mexico, Central America, South America and the caribbean. It produces small fruits that have a fig like flavor. The leaves and flowers have a very complex aroma and flavor that is one of a kind and very appealing. Natives of the Americas hold this plant in high esteem for its relaxing effects.
Basically the flavor and aroma of damiana is so nice, that is causes relaxation. There are active chemicals in damiana that add to the relaxing effect. Damiana increases the sex drive and it is commonly marketed as an aphrodisiac. Mexican native women, commonly use to damiana to increase fertility. Damiana is traditionally prepared as a tea, incense or it is added to smoking mixtures. I have consumed damiana in the past, during stressed out times and during recovery from chemotherapy. The unforgettably pleasant flavor of damiana is something that is easy to remember and just the memory of it brings on a tranquil feeling.
Mexican damiana liquor has the full range of flavor of both dried damiana or fresh damiana. Damiana liquor is sweetened and it has a comfortable alcohol content. The bottle is is modeled after an Incan goddess.
Damiana Margaritas are popular in Los Cabos, Mexico. According to witnesses and food historians, triple sec (curacao liquor) was not one of the ingredients of the original margarita cocktail. Damiana liquor was paired with tequila to create the very first margarita! It only makes sense. Why create a drink in honor of a lady, if there is no ladylike liquor in the drink! Damiana is certainly the ladies liquor of ladies liquors! The Incan goddess shaped bottle spells fertility, no matter how you interpret it.
The black currant gastrique in this recipe also is nice with mission figs. Black currants are champagne grape raisons. Back currants are called cassis in French, so a black currant gastrique is called a cassis gastrique. The flavor of a black currant gastrique is very rich and deep with flavor.
Fancy poached figs are commonly served as an appetizer or as an early sweet course in a multi course dinner. The stack of pita bread on a skewer confirms this fig creation as an early sweet course. If you prefer to serve this fig creation as a dessert, then leave the pita bread skewer out of the recipe.
Black Currant Gastrique Recipe:
This gastrique recipe makes 1 or 2 portions!
Chop 1/4 cup of black currants into small pieces and set them aside.
Place 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pot over high heat.
Add 1/4 cup of sugar.
Bring the liquid to a boil.
Boil and reduce the liquid, till the water has nearly evaporated and the sugar begins to rapidly bubble and cook like a syrup. (Use caution, boiling sugar can cause very severe burns!)
Watch the sugar as it cooks. When the sugar starts to turn an amber color, then have the chopped black currants ready at hand.
When the sugar turns from a light amber color to an amber brown color, immediately add the chopped black currants.
Let the amber brown sugar "seize" the black currants for a few seconds.
Add 1 ounce of rice vinegar.
Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine.
Add sea salt.
Add 1 small pinch of thyme.
Add 6 whole black peppercorns.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of chopped shallot.
Reduce the temperature to low heat.
Simmer and reduce the gastrique, till it becomes a thin syrup like consistency. The gastrique should be able to lightly glaze the back of a spoon.
Pour the gastrique through a fine mesh strainer into a cup or bowl.
Set the gastrique aside and keep it warm on a stove top.
Damiana Glace:
Only about 1 or 2 teaspoons of damiana glace are needed for this recipe!
Place 2 ounces of damiana liquor in a small sauce pot.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
Place the sauce pot over low heat.
Simmer and reduce the damiana liquor, till it becomes a thin syrup.
Place the damiana glace in a small ramekin and keep it warm on a stove top.
Ginger Creme:
Place 3 ounces of cream in a sauce pot.
Add 1 teaspoon of ginger paste.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
Add 1 tiny pinch of white pepper.
Add 1 ounce of dry white wine.
Place the sauce pot over medium low heat.
Gently simmer and reduce the cream, till it becomes a thin cream sauce consistency.
Place the ginger creme into a small plastic squeeze bottle and keep it warm on a stove top.
Damiana Poached Mission Figs:
Place 8 fresh mission figs in a small sauce pot.
Add enough water to barely cover the figs.
Add 2 ounces of damiana liquor.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
Add 1 pinch of sea salt.
Add 1 small pinch of white pepper.
Place the pot over medium/medium high heat.
Poach the mission figs till they become plump and tender.
Remove the mission figs from the pot and place the on a dish. Place the dish of poached mission figs on a stove top to keep them warm, while the poaching liquid is reduced.
Rapidly boil and reduce the poaching liquid, till it becomes a thin syrup consistency.
Pour the natural reduction through a fine mesh strainer into a ceramic cup. Place the cup on a stove top to keep it warm.
Pita Bread Skewer:
Warm a small pita bread in an oven of on a dry griddle.
Cut 7 or 8 square shapes of pita bread. (The squares should be 1 1/2"x1 1/2")
Run a fancy hand twisted bamboo skewer through a small basil top sprig.
Place the pita bread pieces on the skewer.
Set the skewer aside.
Damiana Poached Mission Figs and Their Natural Glace with Black Currant Gastrique, Ginger Creme and Damiana Glace with Pita Bread:
Cut the poached mission figs in half, but leave the halves attached at the stem end.
Slightly fan each mission fig open, as they are arranged in a circle pattern on a plate.
Place the pita skewer vertically on the center of the plate.
Spoon the black currant gastrique between the skewer and the mission figs on the plate.
Use the squeeze bottle to paint streaks of the ginger creme over the poached mission figs.
Use a spoon to dab dots of the blue colored damiana mission fig natural reduction glace around the outside of the ring of mission figs on the plate.
Use a spoon to dab dots of the damiana glace on the plate areound the ring of mission figs.
The recipe is actually not difficult to make on a first attempt. Reduction sauces and glaces are easy to make, but try not to reduce the sauces too far, or they will become thick like candy.
I did mention that I was going to post a series of modern presentations of food in the next round of recipes. Since mission figs are in high season right now, this recipe was posted first! The flavors of each sauce, gastrique and glace in this recipe compliment the flavor of the damiana poached mission figs and they do not overwhelm the flavor of the mission figs. Many overzealous poached mission fig recipes on the internet have flavors that are so strong, that the flavor of the mission figs is lost.
This mission fig early sweet course appetizer blog recipe is certainly decadent and appealing! Yum! ... Shawna
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