Name: Figs with whipped ricotta, orange and mint
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 100 gm honey; 3 tsp orange juice; 3 tsp lemon juice, plus finely grated lemon rind to serve; 6 figs, torn in half; 1⁄4 cup (loosely packed) mint; Coarsely chopped toasted almonds, to serve; Whipped ricotta; 400 gm firm ricotta; 200 gm mascarpone; 50 gm pure icing sugar, sifted; Scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans; Finely grated rind of 1 orange

Figs with whipped ricotta, orange and mint

Figs pair well with almost any soft cheese; we’ve gone with ricotta whipped with mascarpone. A drizzle of the orange-honey syrup is the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Serves 4

Prep

15M

Cook

Total

20M

Figs pair well with almost any soft cheese; we’ve gone with ricotta whipped with mascarpone, but goat’s cheese and labne would also work well. A topping of fresh honeycomb would make an extra-lush finish.

Ingredients

100 gm honey

3 tsp orange juice

3 tsp lemon juice, plus finely grated lemon rind to serve

6 figs, torn in half

1⁄4 cup (loosely packed) mint

Coarsely chopped toasted almonds, to serve

Whipped ricotta

400 gm firm ricotta

200 gm mascarpone

50 gm pure icing sugar, sifted

Scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans

Finely grated rind of 1 orange

Method

1.Heat honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until caramelised (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in citrus juices and leave to cool.

2.For whipped ricotta, pulse ingredients in a small food processor, scraping down sides occasionally, until thick and aerated (30 seconds to 1 minute).

3.To serve, spread whipped ricotta on a serving platter and top with figs, honey caramel, mint, almonds and lemon rind.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Styling by Emma Knowles