Honey spiced figs
A proper dinner party pudding that takes minutes to put together.
Serves six.
- 24 dried figs (about 500g)
- 200ml freshly squeezed orange juice (3 medium oranges), or apple juice (or, better still, half of each)
- The juice of ½ lemon
- One, two or all of: 2 star anise, 4 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 generous tbsp honey
1. Preheat the oven to 130C/250F/gas mark ½.
2. Separate the figs if necessary (they can be a bit squished together) and rinse under the cold tap.
3. Put all the ingredients in a heavy, medium-sized casserole, bring to a simmer, cover and bake for about an hour and a half – check on it halfway through and give it a stir.
4. The finished figs should be plump, tender and juicy, and the sauce lightly syrupy.
5. Leave to cool a little – you want to serve this warm or cold, not fiercely hot, sprinkled with pine nuts and/or flaked almonds and with a dollop of yogurt.