serves 4
Here’s a dessert that can almost double as a starter!
16 dried figs, preferably Greek
½ teaspoon mastiha (mastic) crystals
½ cup (100 g) plus 2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup (120 ml) honey
½ cup (120 ml) mastiha liqueur
8 whole black peppercorns
Olive oil for greasing
4 (½-inch / 1.5 cm) round slices manouri cheese or ricotta salata
Fresh mint, for garnish
Soak the dried figs in water to cover for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the soaking water.
In a mortar, pound the mastiha crystals and 2 teaspoons of the sugar to a fine powder using the pestle.
In a medium saucepan, combine 1½ cups (360 ml) of the fig soaking water, the remaining ½ cup (100 g) sugar, the mastiha-sugar mixture, and the honey and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the mastiha liqueur and peppercorns.
Simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring gently, until the syrup thickens slightly, enough to loosely coat the back of a spoon. Add the figs and poach for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Heat a grill to medium or heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Oil the grill grates or brush the pan very lightly with oil.
Grill the cheese rounds over a medium-hot part of the grill or in the grill pan, turning, until they just begin to acquire grill marks, about 2 minutes per side.
Place a round of cheese on each of four serving plates and place 4 poached figs over each. Drizzle with the poaching syrup, garnish with mint, and serve.