Fig and Black Olive Tapénade
"This is Carrie Brown's recipe--the tapenade she sold in her Sonoma shop and the recipe for which she included in her "Jimtown Store Cookbook." Serve this tapénade with slices of baguette that have been lightly brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven, or smear a layer of it on a sandwich with goat cheese, juicy-ripe summer tomatoes, and lightly dressed arugula. Originally posted here by Mean Chef."
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Yields:
-
1 cup
ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup stemmed & quartered dried black figs (about 3 ounces)
- 3⁄4 cup water
- 1 cup black olives (Nicoise, Lyon or Greek, rinsed and pitted)
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1⁄2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and black pepper, if necessary
directions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, simmer the figs in the water for about 30 minutes, until very tender.
- Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the liquid.
- If using a food processor, pulse the pitted olives, drained figs, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, capers, and fresh rosemary to create a thick paste.
- Pulse in the olive oil until you’ve achieved a chunky-smooth paste.
- Season with black pepper and salt, if necessary.
- (The spread can be thinned with a bit of the reserved fig poaching liquid). If using a mortar and pestle, mash the olives with the garlic, capers, and fresh rosemary.
- Pound in the drained figs.
- Once they are broken up, add the olive oil and season with black pepper, fig poaching liquid, and salt, if necessary.
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Reviews
-
This recipe is easy to follow and easy to make. I fell in love with the PC Fig and Black Olive Tapenade and when they discontinued the product I was looking to make my own. This recipe is very similar to that product except for the rosemary. I put in a 1/2 tsp but in my opinion it completely ruined the end result. The flavour of the rosemany completely overwhelms the delicate balance of fig and black olive. So next time I will omit that ingredient! -
Real winner recipe, deliciously unique! I did use balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice and added salf and black pepper. Wow, a keeper! -
I loved this. I used sundried kalamata olives. I only had white figs, which may have changed the taste a bit as I had to add about 1 tsp buckwheat honey to balance the sweet/salt. I omitted the capers because I didn't have any But I seriously love this spread. I think I just want to tinker with the seasonings a bit more.
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Excellent tapenade! My mother-in-law especially loved the combination of sweet and salty, and she has good taste! Excellent texture and I just love the surprising element of the figs. Thanks! -
I really liked this- the figs add a whole new dimension due to the texture of the seeds. It has received rave reviews from everyone who has tried it. I have made this with a a small handful of sundried tomatoes added as well. This is a definite keeper.
Tweaks
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Real winner recipe, deliciously unique! I did use balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice and added salf and black pepper. Wow, a keeper!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Chef Kate
Annapolis, 60
<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
