Food Stuff

Fig Newtons may be located in your grocer’s cookie section, but we’ve never met a kid who is crazy about them. They seem more like a snack for constipated adults. Stick them in the laxative section, next to Metamucil. It’s too bad about Fig Newtons because fresh figs are one of the great fruits of the Central Valley summer. They have a beautiful rosy interior and voluptuous pear shape. Farmers’ markets are the best source for figs. Choose figs that feel soft but offer a bit of resistance. The fruit is wonderful eaten out of hand (the skin is edible) or halved with a wrapping of prosciutto. To really dress them up, dab a bit of goat cheese into the fig halves, wrap them with prosciutto, impale them on a rosemary branch, rub them with olive oil and put them on a hot grill until just heated through. Make figs a habit, and you will kiss both Fig Newtons and Metamucil goodbye.