One of the great things about late summer and early autumn in my foodie world is figs. I get giddy for those figgies! And, to make them last longer, I often make jam out of figs, which can be used for both sweet or savory things, added to stews or even stir fries, but don’t count out making Fig Newtons! This year, I’ve made two sorts: Cardamom Fig and Orange Fig. Distinctly different but equally lovely.
It’s been a “bad” month for creating things. Work has been crazy busy and I have been off on some mini-adventures, which has left the cooking and baking at the margins, which I hate. Mostly because cooking and baking are my self-reliever, and when I just don’t have the time or the energy, I feel badly. That said, last night I did make these Apricot and Dried Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies. They aren’t the prettiest cookies that I have ever made (I let the butter get too soft, which in turn make the dough crumbly which in turn made it hard to roll out, and then roll together). They do taste quite lovely though.
As we march from Spring through early Summer to now the “dog days” of Summer, we move more towards stone fruits — apricots, peaches, plums and the like — which make great jam which is also the important part of my super easy to make crumble bars. There must be about 5 different versions here on the site. They are great to add to lunches or to pack into picnics!
And now for something that isn’t baking — cooking for once, instead. I love this recipe — the flavors of the briny olives, the freshness of the lemons, the perfect texture of the fish. All very delicious. Because halibut can be a bit of a splurge with the cost, this can also be made with cod or any thicker cut white fish. Definitely give it a go.
A couple of weekends ago, I went berry picking again and got a slew of red currants. Some were made into jam, so I thought I would use some of that jam to make these thumpprint cookies. You could also use raspberry jam or tart cherry jam, which also go quite nicely with the chocolate combination — the whole tart + chocolate is really nice.