Case Study 32: "The Turkish Fig"

"My name is Turkish. Funny name for an Englishman. I know." - Snatch

Wine, music, cupcakes.

For us, tunes, food, and wandering reigned supreme. Driving around aimlessly for hours, we had warded our teenage angst off by roving the woods for cliffs to jump off and watching the stars by the Redding reservoir. We stood in the 3 am moonlight of the tall grass field next to his once-childhood home and spent one Valentine's Day eating homemade chocolate cookies in a parking lot, windows down and Snatch soundtrack blaring The Stranglers. They say first loves are never really over.

"The Turkish Fig" is a fig cupcake with a walnut encrusted honey frosting and vanilla buttercream on top. It's drizzled in honey and sugar crystals. There's a natural sweetness brought by the earthiness of the fig, and warmed by the local honey, a reminder that best and most familiar things always come from places closest to our hearts. Some things are just better when baked by two.

Most of us fall young and hard for our firsts, promising a lifetime of longing, with those moments of uncertainty, discovery, and anguish playing like movies in our memories. Though this might be true for many, I'm lucky to know that I've gotten to keep mine for always as living reminder of my youth and a truly wonderful friend.

Recipe
The Turkish Fig Cupcake
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups fresh figs, minced
6 oz. vanilla yogurt
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. Set the oven at 325º and line 2 one-dozen cupcake pan, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. Cream the sugar and butter together in a bowl until combined and fluffy, roughly 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla and vanilla bean and mix until combined.
4. Blend in the yogurt and figs. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with milk until combined.
5. Fill the cupcake pan and bake 20-22 minutes.

Honey Buttercream
1 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. raw whipped honey
4-5 cups confectioner's sugar
2 cups toasted walnuts

1. Combine the butter with a mixer on a medium speed, 3 minutes.
2. Mix in the vanilla and honey.
3. Gradually blend in the confectioner's sugar. If it becomes to dense, cut with 1-2 tsp. milk.
4. Frost cupcakes generously, roll in toasted walnuts and enjoy with wine and good company.