The fig trees (all three of them) are ripening their fruit and in my battle with the local birds, I have picked bushels of figs. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I have figs coming out of my ears. Anyway, here’s a recipe that uses fresh figs.
Ingredients:
How to do it:
Wash the figs and cut off the stems and the blossom end. I’m not sure if that’s really what it’s called, but it’s the opposite end from the stem and if you look at a fig, you’ll know what I’m referring to. Coarsely chop the figs and you should end up with three and a half cups. Combine with the sugar and lemon juice in a pan and cook over medium heat. Stir often or it’ll scorch and when it begins to thicken, turn down the heat. Once it’s reduced to two cups, remove from the stove and allow to cool.
Cream the room temperature butter and brown sugar. Mix the flour, salt and baking soda then add the butter mixture, mixing well. Add the oats and you should have a crumbly concoction. Press half the mixture in the bottom of a well greased 9×13 baking pan. Evenly spread the fig mixture across the top of the crust. Top with the remaining oat crust and pat lightly. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack and cut whilst still warm. Makes approximately two dozen bars.