Makes 6–8 portions (2 figs per person)
Our cookery book collection is now well into the hundreds. Every room in our flat is littered with them, all except the kitchen. Strange as it may seem, we very rarely cook from them. We consider a cookbook worth its purchase price and a place on our shelves if it inspires just one good idea. The inspiration for this fig dessert (and many others) came to us from a massive, very serious tome about French patisserie called Au Cœur des Saveurs. It was one of the first cookbooks we got, and one of the few that actually gets used in the kitchen (with the dirty pages to prove it).
12–16 figs
zest of 1 lemon
3–4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
3 tbsp good-quality honey (thyme honey would work beautifully here)
a little olive oil to drizzle
50g soft rindless goats’ cheese
100g/ml heavy cream
70g honey
½ tsp ground cardamom
Whip the goats’ cheese with the cream, honey and cardamom until just softly set. Use a teaspoon or piping bag to spoon or pipe in little mounds (about the size of a penny) on a tray lined with a sheet of greaseproof paper. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Cut 12–16 sheets of greaseproof paper (depending on how many portions you are making) to the size of the plates you’ll be serving this on.
Peel the figs: nip off the stalk and pull or cut the skin away. Cut each into four slices. Place eight slices (two figs) on a piece of greaseproof paper, spacing them out a little. Cover with another sheet of paper and use a rolling pin or a flat wooden spoon to pound, flatten and spread the figs until you have a thin layer sandwiched between the sheets. Repeat with the other fig slices. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve. If you want to prepare this a day or two in advance, you can freeze the sheets of figs, then just thaw for 10 minutes before serving.
When you are ready to serve, peel off the top layer of paper. Flip one carpaccio (fig-side-down) onto each serving plate and carefully peel away the remaining greaseproof paper. Grate the lemon zest directly onto the carpaccios so each gets a dusting, then sprinkle with the thyme leaves and drizzle with the honey and a little olive oil. At the last minute remove the cream dollops from the fridge and divide between the plates. Serve immediately.