The Figs Are Here!

I'm just soaking up the wonderful bounty of summer right now. There's so much fresh, wonderful produce out there I just can't stand it! I think my favorite summertime delicacy is figs, and I like to buy them in large amounts when they come to my Costco every year. (They spoil quickly, but I don't ever have a problem eating them before they start down that path.) They're inexpensive (relatively) at Costco...even though it annoys me that they come in that ubiquitous Costco clam shell packaging that makes me crazy! Figs are so beautiful and have such a fabulous honey/flower sweetness to them, and the texture is so unique. I think they have to be the most romantic fruit. I love having them for breakfast in a fruit salad, ideally with peaches or nectarines and an orange with walnuts sprinkled over. I also had some leftover cashew-coconut pudding (cashews blended with water to make a pudding-y consistency, then blend in dates to taste, vanilla, pinch of salt, and some shredded coconut) and I used it in a fig parfait that was a festival of deliciousness. :) I had some buckwheat "crunchies" (soaked and dried buckwheat groats) and so I sprinkled them between the layers of pudding and figs and over the top. Go and get some figs, before the season's over!!! DO IT!

Note: if you've never bought figs before, they should be soft and plump, with no wrinkly skins or signs of deterioration (duh, right?). The best ones will be seeping a little bit of nectar. Handle them very carefully, as they are easily damaged. They don't store well, so eat em up! Also, don't let the crunchy seeds weird you out. They're just part of the magical textural package.