Fruit Based Recipes

Serves 4

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups brown sugar
• ½ lemon, finely sliced
• 12 whole figs, peeled
• A splash of cognac
• 225g mascarpone
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• ½ cup icing sugar
• 1 cup pouring cream

• Heat water and sugar in a large pot until the sugar dissolves.
• Add lemon slices and bring to the boil for five minutes. Add figs, remove from heat and add cognac - cool figs in liquid and turn constantly.
• In a large bowl, whisk mascarpone, vanilla bean seeds and sugar, until well blended; whip cream, in another bowl, until stiff peaks form and fold the cream into the mascarpone.
• Lift the figs from the liquid – drain well and then slice figs open, arrange on a large dessert plate. Spoon some poaching liquid over figs and top with a generous amount of mascarpone mix.