I made the mistake one time of buying fresh figs at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market from Ivan Stoilov of Ivan’s Fig Farm in Dittmer, Mo. Well, the mistake wasn’t actually buying the figs; the mistake was telling Stoilov what I had planned for them. I told him that I planned to roast them and fold them into some goat cheese ice cream. He looked at me in horror. “Doing anything to those figs would be a crime,” he said, snatching them back out of my hand and only returning them after I promised to serve them, unadorned, alongside the ice cream.
Stoilov is rightly protective of the figs. His Italian and Greek varieties are fat and luscious. He’ll warn you to use them right away because he picks them at the very peak of their freshness. They’re perfect on a salad of bitter greens with lightly toasted pecans for crunch. Butterfly the luscious beauties and fill them with fresh goat cheese that you’ve whisked with a little honey and cracked black pepper. If you can source some quail, grill it and then serve the figs alongside. The rich flavor of figs makes it easy to include in preserved items like compotes, salsas and jams, too.
And when Stoilov asks about your plans for the figs, just do what I now do: Lie through your teeth.
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2011.