WDW - Fig Marmalade

I love figs... most people don't and I can't figure out why. I guess it's probably a texture thing, but oftentimes they aren't as sweet. But if you get a really good fig, it is amazing! I prefer Mission figs (the black ones) but I like the green Kadota ones, too. I love to eat them plain right out of hand. Anyways, I buy figs whenever they look good - Trader Joe's has been carrying them -and I absolutely love it when my friend Lori shares figs from her tree or her neighbor's tree. Last week, she gave me a good supply, and then I also got some in my farm box. Since I'm the only one who likes figs around here, with the surplus I decided to make some fig marmalade that Lori taught me how to make. She is so resourceful and always comes up with the best recipes for surplus produce ... I plan to feature her persimmon oatmeal cookie recipe soon, too!

The marmalade couldn't be easier, and it's a great solution when the figs aren't as sweet, as Lori's were not this week. All you do is peel the figs -I just did it by hand, squeezing out the flesh into a sauce pot. I used about 20 kadota figs. I chopped one orange up finely (rind and all) and threw that in. Then, I added the zest and juice of one lemon, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. I brought everything to a boil, and then simmered about 45 minutes to reduce a bit. If it is not sweet enough for you, just add more sugar. I like mine less sweet, more like a chutney. When you chill it it turns into the consistency of marmalade. It is absolutely delicious on grainy buttered toast. I also bought some brie this week to make a baked brie - I just put a generous amount of the marmalade on top of a whole wheel of brie cheese (no need to peel, though you can butterfly it if you like). I baked it at 350 for 30-40 minutes to warm and melt -and served with baguette slices for a light dinner that Rich and I shared one night when it was just us two. It would make a great appetizer as well.