I get bored easily. Now that my hard partying days are behind me, I look for other outlets to stimulate my brain. Finding new ways to play around with my recipes gives my creative curiosities something to do.
I have a bunch of dried figs in my pantry. Let’s make a jam!
It is also the time of year to exchange cookies with friends and family. I have the perfect cookie recipe to have some fun with.
Fig & Bacon Jam
This jam is super versatile. Today I’m using it in a pastry, but its balance of flavors would accompany so many dishes nicely. The figs and bacon bring the sweet and salty, the vinegar brightens things up with some acidity, and the bitterness from the coffee adds an unexpected nuance. I would certainly use this jam as a condiment on a scallop or duck dish. And of course it would be a terrific addition to a charcuterie board.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 1 quart
1 pound bacon, 1/4” lardon (small strips)
1 pound dried figs, small dice
1 cup strong brewed coffee (I used cold brew)
1 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Render the bacon and cook until crispy, strain from the fat and set aside. Save the bacon fat for something else!
2. Dice the figs (I like to use scissors), and soak in the coffee and water for about an hour to hydrate and speed up the cooking process.
4. Return cooked bacon to the mix and stir until incorporated, cool slightly.
5. Add jam mixture to a food processor, and process to your desired consistency (I like to have some texture in my finished product).
6. Let cool completely, and store in a jar in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Polish Poppy Pig Newtons
Now I’m just having fun.
This recipe is essentially a kolaczki, which has been covered on TCB’s blog in the past. The Polish pastry is something that I’ve been making for years. I remember my Polish grandmother and great aunt’s traditional version, seemingly always at my fingertips when spending time in Cicero as a kid.
I’ve decided to play with the traditional recipe a bit. I’ve added poppyseeds to the dough, which makes sense because poppyseed filling is very traditional for a kolaczki. I am using my Fig & Bacon Jam as a filling and I gave the cookie a silly name (please don’t sue, Nabisco!).
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 3-12 hours
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Total Time: 3-12 hours 44 minutes
Yield: 40 cookies
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons poppyseeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar for bench and dusting to finish
Jam
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, with a stand/hand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese, scraping the sides as necessary.
3. Mix in flour, salt and poppy seeds until just incorporated (overmixing will create a tough cookie).
5. Chill the dough for at least three hours, ideally overnight.
6. Dust your work surface with powdered sugar, roll your dough into a rectangle shape about 1/8-inch thick (using powdered sugar for your bench versus flour will add subtle sweetness to your dough).
8. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the center of each square (don’t overfill because it will expand when baking).
9. Fold one corner of the square to the middle, followed by the opposite corner, and press to seal (use a drop of water to help seal properly if necessary, as the cookies could pop open while baking).
10. Place the folded cookies on a parchment/silicone mat-lined sheet tray and bake for about 14 minutes, until beginning to brown on the corners (bottoms should be golden brown).
11. Once baked, cool on a rack.
12. Once cooled, dust with additional powdered sugar.
There is still time to give the gift of cooking for the holidays with The Chopping Block's gift cards. Also, come and see me have fun and get creative in person at my Tasting Table demonstration on Tuesday, January 27 at 6pm. This menu is inspired by my collection of culinary notebooks over my career and features:
- Preserved Lemon Toddy maple, mint - virgin, whiskey or rum
- Pierogi sweet potato, n’duja, cream
- Fried Rice crab, pumpkin, preserved lemon
- Chateaubriand onions, chives
- Custard farm egg, maple, lemon, mint
