[1] Scrumptious bites: a medley of flavors and textures (photos #1 and #2 © California Fig Commission).

[2] Dried figs are delicious snacking right from the bowl. Enjoy them with a piece of cheese, too.

[3] Uncured bacon, free of added sugar and nitrates (photo © Butcher Box).

[4] Fontina cheese is made in the Val d’Aosta in Piedmont, Italy (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[5] If you want the flavor of jalapeño but not the heat, remove the seeds (photo © Good Eggs).

They can be passed on a plate, or plated as a salad course. Just lay the skewer atop the salad, or on the side of the plate.

The recipe was developed by James Beard Award-Winning Chef Robert Del Grande of The Annie Café & Bar in Houston, for the California Fig Commission.

Chef Del Grande notes, “In the tradition of Queso Flameado* (flamed cheese), this hors d’oeuvre is a study in contrasting flavors and textures: sweet, salty, spicy, smoky, and chewy; crispy, crunchy and creamy. All in one bite! What a bite!”

> There are 25+ more favorite fig recipes here, for breakfast, mains, sides, desserts, and cocktails.

> The history of figs.

> Types of figs, and ways to use figs at every meal.

> Ways To Use Dried Figs

> Ways To Use Fig Spreads

> Ways To Use Fresh Figs
 
 
RECIPE: MISSION FIGS FLAMEADO

Ingredients For 8 Skewers

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. In a heavy skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until browned but not too crisp. Cool and cut each slice into 4 pieces.

2. REMOVE and discard the stems from the figs, and trim a thin slice from the bottom of each fig so that it will stand upright. Then, cut each fig in half, horizontally.

3. SLICE the jalapeño crosswise into 8 round slices, without removing the seeds. For spicy bites, make the slices thick, for milder bites, cut very thin slices.

4. SLICE the cheese about ¼ inch thick and cut slices into 8 pieces, each about ½ inch square.

5. ARRANGE the bottom half of the figs on a well-oiled baking sheet. Layer each half with a slice of cooked bacon, a slice of jalapeño, and a square of cheese, and replace the top half of each fig. Press together lightly.

6. WARM in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Very carefully transfer the figs to the serving dish and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Insert the skewers or picks in the center of each fig and serve warm.
 
 
 
 
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*The difference between Queso Flameado vs Queso Fundido: Flameado is “flamed,” e.g. slightly melted under the broiler. Fundido is melted cheese, served in a shallow dish or pan with tortilla chips or other dippers (a relative of fondue). Fundido means “molted.”

†The rule in capitalizing cheese names is that if the name is also a geographic location (Brie, Parmesan after Parma, Roquefort, Valençay, etc.) you capitalize it. If not, don’t capitalize it (e.g., blue cheese, feta, fontina, goat cheese, and mozzarella.
 
 
 
 

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See how to throw one, below.

An alternative way to have a deviled egg party is a potluck. You just need to coordinate to make sure that different recipes are only represented once. (We once threw such an event paired with a wine tasting and ended up with two sets of guacamole deviled eggs and two pimento cheese deviled eggs.)

> The history of deviled eggs, and the difference between deviled eggs and stuffed eggs.

> Our favorite deviled egg recipes.

> Tips to make better deviled eggs are below.
 
 
HOW TO HAVE A DEVILED EGG PARTY

Give guests a blank slate on which to create their deviled egg masterpieces.

Set out a tray of plain deviled eggs, plus different toppings in ramekins or small bowls. The toppings need to be chopped, minced, or sliced to a small size that fits the top the egg.

Set the ramekins on plates to catch the spillage, and supply small spoons for scooping (we use espresso spoons). The guests should also have small cocktail plates on which to top their eggs.
 
Choose Your Toppings

Here’s a long list of options for the toppings. You can provide as many as you like.
 
Proteins

 
Vegetables

 
Spreads

 
Condiments & Seasonings

 
 
HOW TO MAKE BETTER DEVILED EGGS

[2] Present filled deviled eggs with no topping, plus ramekins so guests can select their own.

[3] For a fancy look, pipe the egg yolk filling with a fancy tip (photo © Dlish Deviled Eggs | Andrew McNeel Publishing).

1. The easiest way to get smooth yolks is to mash them thoroughly with a fork. You could also use a whip attachment (ideal for bigger batches), a ricer if you want them really smooth, or a food processor.

2. Spoon-filled deviled eggs will look laid back and rustic but not as nice. Eggs that have been filled with a piping bag (photo #3) are elegant.

3. For piping, a number of different options are available:

 
4. If you do get pro pastry bags, the tip you pipe the filling with is largely an aesthetic choice, although some fillings are better suited to certain tip styles than others. Chunkier fillings are best piped through a large plain round tip, while smoother fillings look lovely when applied with a large star tip.
 
 

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[1] A delicious strata for breakfast, brunch, or lunch (photos #1 and #2 © California Figs).

[2] You can use any dried figs you like, but purple figs will show up best in the strata.

[3] Fresh Italian hot sausage. You can use hot or mild sausage in the recipe (photo © Fresh Direct).

[4] Grated Parmesan cheese. The cheese always tastes better when it’s fresh-grated (photo © London Deposit | Panther Media).

[5] Here’s a slight bit of food fusion: Spain’s most famous cheese, Manchego, in an Italian strata (photo © Iberian Foods).

We’ve also linked to 25+ more recipes we’ve previously published, that use figs for cocktails, breakfast, mains, and desserts.

Are you ready for a fig fest?

> The history of figs.

> Types of figs, and ways to use figs at every meal.

> Ways To Use Dried Figs

> Ways To Use Fig Spreads

> Ways To Use Fresh Figs

There are links to many more exciting fig recipes below.
 
 
RECIPE: FIG & SAUSAGE STRATA
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Use the butter to grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2. WHISK together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, and sage in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

3. FOLD in the cooked sausage and figs. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the Manchego cheese. If you’d like figs visible on the top of the strata after it is baked, reserve a few pieces and carefully place them on top about halfway through the cooking time.

4. COVER with foil and bake for 25 minutes. When done, the strata should be set and only slightly jiggle when the pan is moved from side to side. If the center appears liquid, re-cover with the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Once set…

5. REMOVE the foil and bake another 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes and then cut into 8 portions to serve.
 
 
MORE FIG RECIPES
Figs are often thought of for sweet recipes: fig scones, tarts, chocolate truffles, and of course, figgy pudding, a popular Christmas pudding.

Figgy foods aren’t just for sweet dishes. Figs are often cooked with pork, lamb, and even on pizza. Add them to stuffing; and whenever a recipe calls for prunes, you can substitute figs. Figs, fresh or dried, are delicious in yogurt or in hot or cold breakfast cereals.
 
 
Breakfast

 
Cocktails

 
Appetizers & First Courses

 
Mains & Sides

 
Desserts

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In the 1920s, RIND founder Matt Weiss’s great-grandmother, Helen Seitner, opened a natural foods store in Flint, Michigan. Talk about being ahead of her time!

The Stay-Well Health Shop carried fresh produce, whole-grain flour, bulk seeds, nuts, and other wellness foods that focused on the power of whole foods.

RIND fruit snacks are also nutritious whole foods, but in current times, they have a secondary mission as well: to minimize food waste (more about that in a moment).

The brand also has an anti-hunger initiative called Love Is RIND. In partnership with local and national organizations, RIND has donated 35,000 bags of snacks to kids in need.

It’s a feel-good brand, as well as a taste-good one.
 
 
HOW RIND REDUCES FOOD WASTE

According to Feeding America and numerous other sources, food waste in the U.S. is a huge problem.

It’s not only for the waste it dumps into landfill, the labor and expense wasted in growing and bringing it to market, and the amount of water used and greenhouse gas expended in growing and processing it.

It’s also food that could have gone to feed America’s hungry.

By making dried fruit snacks that include rinds and peels, RIND saved 340,000 pounds of food waste in 2021 and aims to save 1 million pounds in 2022.

These are sustainable snacks as well as nutritious ones. RIND retains the nutrients that are in the peels and rinds, which are often the healthiest part of the fruit.

RIND snacks are made with the entire fruit, including the oft-discarded peel. There is only one ingredient in RIND: sliced, dehydrated fruit.

This “recipe” not only saves a lot of peel from landfill. It also saves fruits that would be headed for the landfill because they’re misshapen, discolored, or bruised so customers won’t buy them.

The latter is a big problem: Each year, 10 million pounds of tasty and nutritious but cosmetically imperfect produce is thrown away (read the whole article).

(Globally, 1.3 billion tons of produced food goes uneaten every year!)

We would hope that produce growers and local governments would get together to distribute these perfectly edible foods to the hungry, but so far they haven’t connected. (Why not write to your local growers and officials?)
 
 
RIND FLAVORS

The chewy fruit chips are high in fiber, flavonoids (antioxidants), and vitamin C, with a satisfying crunch.

For a product with no added sugar, we enjoyed it very much; that is to say, we’re a big fan. There’s an entire fruit department worth of flavors:

 
 
WAYS TO USE RIND SNACKS

RIND is more than a grab-and-go, or sit-and-eat, snack. The fruit can be used as:

 
 
GET YOUR RIND SNACKS

Try them yourself, and buy them for healthful* stocking stuffers!

You can buy them online at RindSnacks.com.

Here’s a store locator.

The brand is also available on Amazon.
 
 
________________
 
*“Healthy” vs. “healthful”: The Difference. Healthy is an adjective used to describe someone or something (animal, plant) in good health. Healthful is an adjective used to describe something as health-giving or abetting good health.

[2] RIND orange and coconut chips used as a fruitcake topping (or carrot cake, pound cake, or other cake).

[3] Pineapple rings garnish a smoothie.

[4] Apple chips on a plain bagel and cream cheese, with a honey drizzle. The chips are also great on toast and English muffins.
 

[5] Coconut crisps are available plain or with cocoa and sea salt.
 

[6] Bags of Apple, Straw-Perry.

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[2] Acorn squash. You can toast the seeds for a snack or garnish—on salads, breakfast cereal, grains, etc.—see the footnote† (photo © Kim Daniels | Unsplash).
 

[3] Use whatever honey you have (photo © National Honey Board).

[4] You can grind hazelnuts into powder† or purchase them already ground. Note that hazelnut powder isn’t .
 

[5] Sunflower seeds (photo © Umpqua Oats | Facebook).

If you typically season roasted/baked squash with a pat of butter and some cinnamon or nutmeg—our go-to—this version is an elegant upgrade.

The recipe was created for the National Honey Board by Executive Chef Ashfer Biju of Perrine NYC & The Pierre, A Taj Hotel.

This recipe is for 24 servings, but you can use this serving size recipe converter to cut the recipe to the size you like.

Do you know the difference between roasted versus baked? See the footnote‡.
 
 
RECIPE: HONEY-ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH HONEY-LEMON RICOTTA & SPICY HAZELNUT GRANOLA
 
IngredientsFor 24 Servings

For The Granola

 
For The Cheese Mixture

 
For The Acorn Squash

 
For The Garnish

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the granola. This can be done a few days in advance. Combine all the ingredients. Spread on an oiled sheet pan and bake in a 350°F oven until the mixture is dry and crunchy. Cool and store in an airtight container.

2. MAKE the cheese mixture. Whip the ricotta with the honey, lemon zest, and juice, and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the Parmesan and hazelnut powder and taste for seasoning. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the cheese mixture. Set aside.

3. MAKE the acorn squash: Preheat a convection oven to 375°F. Prepare a marinade by whisking together the honey and olive oil. Add the thyme, salt, and pepper.

4. TOSS the marinade with the squash and spread the squash on a sheet pan with the crushed garlic. Make sure the squash is patted dry before the marinade is applied.

5. ROAST for 20 minutes, or until the squash is cooked through. Increase the heat to 400°F, then cook another 5 minutes to get a deeper, darker color on the squash.

6. PLATE: Place 4 or 5 pieces of squash per serving on an ovenproof dish. Pipe several dollops of cheese mixture over the squash. Gratinate under a salamander (or a broiler) until the cheese starts to turn golden brown.

7. REMOVE and top with a generous sprinkling of granola and chopped parsley. Spoon over extra-virgin olive oil and top with crushed peppercorns.

Chef’s Note: Cooking time of the squash may vary depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Leaving the skin on provides a great texture for the final product.
 
 
 ________________
 
*Toasted Squash Seeds: Rinse and drain the seeds and blot them dry with paper towels. Place on a small rimmed baking sheet and use more paper towels to blot up any excess water. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season them with garlic salt (or cinnamon, if you plan to use them on oatmeal or yogurt). Roast in a 325°F oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown, tossing them once or twice (if some pop, that’s O.K.).
 

‡Roasted Vs. Baked: The main differences between roasting and baking are (1) the types of foods you roast versus bake, and (2) the temperature of the oven. Roasting requires a higher oven temperature of above 400°F to cook the food, while baking takes place at lower oven temperatures, around 375°F and below.
 

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