Showing posts with label fig. Show all posts

03 November 2014

A Christmas Post: Holiday Recipe: Fig and Toasted Almond Scones

Photo: King Arthur Flour

A Christmas Post: Holiday Recipe: Fig and Toasted Almond Scones: From Denny: Autumn is here - and so is daylight savings time this Sunday when we "fall backward" one hour - so don't forget to set your clocks back one hour!

For some reason I've been enjoying the vegan scones over at Whole Foods the past couple of weeks now that the weather has cooled. So, that sent me on The Scone Recipe Chase to see what is out there in recipe database land. Found these little autumnal gems over at King Arthur Flour.

Figs are quite popular here in Louisiana where many a backyard grows a fig tree. Almonds are popular in California where they supply the nation! This is the time of year when the nation's nut orchards are releasing their bountiful harvest of pecans (Louisiana and Texas), almonds, walnuts and macadamias so we are all tempted to start our holiday baking early! At least I believe that's their marketing strategy to sell more nuts. :)

Scones are an easy way to try out some fruit and nut combinations to see how the family and friends enjoy the idea. While I love my blueberry and lemon scones of the summer it's time for something different for the fall season so we wanted to try these fig and almond scones at our house. Of course, if figs or almonds are not your preference, know that you can always try figs and walnuts or cranberries and almonds or whatever grabs your fancy this baking season.

Don't feel like the extra effort and time of slicing the scone dough into proper triangles? Try the method the King Arthur Flour bakers suggest: bake them into rounds just using 1/4 cup of dough for each scone, leaving 2 inches between them. That amounts to the idea of a drop scone, much like a drop biscuit...

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23 July 2014

New Orleans Chef Recipe: Tasty Fig Gelato

Photo provided by LSU AgCenter -- This LSU Purple fig will be one of many figs offered to taste so you can compare differences between varieties for taste, sweetness, texture and color.

Photo/LSU AgCenter -- This LSU Purple fig

From Denny: At the Hotel Monteleone’s Criollo Restaurant in the French Quarter this is a seasonal featured dessert, served with slivered almonds, caramelized sugar and lovingly garnished with summer's fresh blackberries. Figs are hanging off back yard Louisiana trees this month and people are always looking for new recipes utilizing figs. The Criollo also serves a killer banana split: small scoops of Pontchtoula (Louisiana grown) strawberry, stone-ground chocolate and fig gelato snuggled up with long slices of banana in sauce, all served in an almond "boat."

The restaurant was willing to seat a couple of food journalists who wandered in just for dessert - and did so graciously. The chef was also willing to share his recipe! So, if you are traveling to New Orleans any time soon and fancy a frozen treat to beat the summer heat, just saunter on in to the Hotel Monteleone! People with this great an attitude deserve a Denny Lyon Bump! (Stephen Colbert has nothing on me.) :)

(FYI - artist and journalist Denny Lyon has no association with Hotel Monteleone, just enjoyed reporting on the local news story featuring them)

If you would like to be a guest at this famous historic hotel, here's the contact information:

Hotel Monteleone, an historic luxury French Quarter hotel

214 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130-2201

Email questions: Reservations@hotelmonteleone.com

Phone: (504) 523-3341 or Toll-Free at (866) 338-4684