Fresh mission figs are in at Paul's

[Robin Garr]

I love it when they arrive in June, so I thought I'd share. The batch at the St. Matthews branch of Paul's this afternoon was really fat, ripe and sweet/

I have to admit that I'm not at all familiar with figs. I see them used frequently on cooking shows, but I have only tried one fig and it wasn't impressive. I'm sure that they have to be delicious, but I haven't had good exposure.

How do you use them, Robin? Any newbie tips?

[Robin Garr]

I have to admit that I'm not at all familiar with figs. I see them used frequently on cooking shows, but I have only tried one fig and it wasn't impressive. I'm sure that they have to be delicious, but I haven't had good exposure.

How do you use them, Robin? Any newbie tips?

Joni, there are some fancy recipes that use them in fruit sauces for meat, but mostly, to be honest, I just eat them. Or cut them up into yogurt for a healthy breakfast treat. Cut them in half, smear with a little mild goat cheese or sweet mascarpone cheese, and you've got a quick-and-easy elly-gunt snack.

Fresh fig season runs from about June to September, and Paul's is a reliable source. I like the purple Mission figs best. Green figs are okay for cooking, but don't have the flavor or sweetness of the purple figs. And dried figs, available year-round, are okay, but to me it's an entirely different food.

When I was 18 I was fortunate enough to travel through Europe with my much older brother, Pat. Our most memorable meal (and there many) was at the famous Maxim's. Fresh, deep deep purple figs split in half, with a drizzle of creame fraiche.