Decadent fig and rosewater smoothie

by sophie on August 1, 2007 · 4 comments

Post image for Decadent fig and rosewater smoothie

The produce lowest in food miles has to be all of that fabulous fresh stuff so many of you are busy growing in your own back gardens! Lots of people seem to be busy munching through very impressive courgette harvests and there have been some fantastic courgette recipes posted including those from Kalyn, Wendy and Joanna to name just a few. I’m also much enthused by the Royal Horticultural Society’s Grown Your Own Veg site complete with blog, calendar and gardening tips. However, I’m all talk and no trousers because life was too hectic here earlier in the Summer to get round to planting much more than a few herbs. There is no such abundance in our garden, but we are starting to reap the rewards of our lovely fruit trees (oh except the poor pear tree, which the blasted cat has killed by scratching through the bark right the way round the base of the tree).

Least productive in the garden is the fig tree, from which we had two figs across the whole of last Summer. Such a rare treat, these were eaten gratefully and unadorned. But this year we have already had at least ten huge juicy figs, not even counting the four we gave to a neighbour who was waiting patiently when we returned from our holiday to ask politely “did we like figs, and were we planning to eat them?”. We were happy to hand over the current ripe batch, and were rewarded by the promise of a donation from his Muscat grape harvest later in the Summer (not sure if this will be before or after he turns it into homemade wine).

It’s a funny thing having so many figs because frankly it hasn’t been the best Summer here in Oxford (OK, so it has in fact been the worst Summer since records began). But figs work to their own timetable, with the small, hard green fruits on the tree not ripening until the year after their first appearance and I suspect that the bumper harvest owes more to last Summer which was how a Summer ought to behave.

Originally inspired by a recipe for Fig and honey milk shake, every second pair of figs that ripen on our tree are turned into this glorious, turkish delight-scented froth. A little bit more sophisticated than your average smoothie and wonderfully fragrant, I can’t help thinking that this would make a lovely finale to a middle-eastern feast, particularly if it was served in pretty gold-edged Moroccan tea glasses (like the beauties on this Flickr photograph).


Decadent fig and rosewater smoothie
On an entirely different note, if you are interested in healthy eating then Kathryn Elliot has recently revamped her Limes and Lycopene blog and very smart it looks too! Throughout August Kathryn is running 31 days to better energy, a daily tip with a fifteen minute task to help you finish the month reinvigorated and raring to go. Having returned from Barcelona with a horrible snotty cold and feeling decidedly bleurgh I will definitely be tuning in!

Recipe for Decadent fig and rosewater smoothie

Serves 2
This will take five minutes at most. To ensure that it stays rich and luxurious I haven't added any cooling ice to this smoothie so make sure that the milk and yogurt are both straight from the fridge.

2 large ripe figs or 3 if they are small
150g natural, organic yogurt, the thick sort (about two thirds of a cup)
about 150ml milk (about two thirds of a cup)
1 tsp honey (a fragrant, flowery one)
2-3 drops of rosewater

Tip: this doesn't need to be exact so I just tip in the whole pot of yogurt and then measure a yogurt pot full of milk.

Trim any excessively unripe green parts at the top of the fig and chop each fruit roughly into quarters. Put into a blender and blitz until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until everything is blended and a few frothy bubbles appear at the top. Taste and add extra honey if required.

{ 4 comments }

Sea August 2, 2007 at 00:47

I have some figs in the refrigerator getting sadder by the minute. I was going to make a tart but somehow got distracted- I may just turn at least some of them into this yummy beverage that makes me think of Indian lassi… mmm..
-sea

Dia March 2, 2010 at 07:32

Oh my, this sounds heavenly!
I first tasted fresh figs in my 20s – & was hooked! Last summer my ‘desert king’ fig, (~ 5 or 6 years old?) produced a VERY good crop, & the second crop ripened fully as well – unusual, as they usually show promise, then are hard & not ripe!
My middle granddaughter is QUITE fond of figs, & will eye the tree with longing when she visits.
At their county fair, there’s a large garden planted & maintained by the Master Gardner group in the area, which includes some lovely fat & sweet currents – she stands at the bush, picking handfuls! Fun to see her mirror my love of fruit!
The water kefir recipe suggests adding a fig or two during the first or second ferment! love the touch of rosewater

Penny Neil September 29, 2011 at 01:09

I love the sound of rose water and orange flavored water. I don’t know how to make either, I have an orange tree and also a rose bush. If you would tell me how to make these ingredients I would be very thankful.
Thank you,
Penny Neil

Sophie September 29, 2011 at 10:28

Hi Penny,

How wonderful to have your own orange tree. I’m guessing you must be somewhere sunnier than I am! I’ve never tried to make my own rose or orange flower water – it’s one of those things that I have always bought ready made from a store. I don’t think it’s impossible to make your own but I think it involves distillation rather than simply infusing cold water with petals. I’m sure some clever folks will have put up some instructions online if you try googling it. Do let me know if you try it out!

Previous post:

Next post: