Brown Sugar Grilled Figs with Sweet Mascarpone Cream

I was walking through Whole Foods the other day on a mission to pick up fresh shrimp for my soba noodle dish creation.  Little green baskets filled with fresh figs caught the corner of my eye; I stopped dead in my tracks causing the man walking behind me to smack right into me  "Sorry" I said apologetically as I nodded to the figs, "but I spied a basket of fresh figs over there." He was very nice about it and asked me to grab him a basket too!

Arriving at home it was hard to pay attention to the dish at hand, the figs were calling my name.  So many options and only two of us to test it out on. Being that it's summer, I just can't shy away from the grill. A little brown sugar rub for the grill and a dollop of mascarpone cheese placed on top just as they come off the grill so that it melts slightly and becomes creamy.... ah, heaven.


I think the key to this story is that we must always be on the look out; stop rushing so much that you can't look around.  I nearly missed those figs and you all would've never seen this grilled figs with sweet mascarpone recipe nor would you see the soon to come grilled prosciutto wrapped figs recipe (equally outstanding). An open mind and open eyes make one fat and happy eater!

Tips and Techniques:  Face all the cut figs in the same direction on the skewer for easier handling.

 Brown Sugar Grilled Figs with Sweet Mascarpone Cream
3 figs (1.5 per person)
1 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls olive oil or melted butter
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3 Tbls powder sugar
Mint leaves

Mix the oil and brown sugar in a bowl. Cut the figs in half, place in the brown sugar bowl, toss to coat well. Spear the figs on barbecue skewer, place on an oiled grill over medium high heat, turning at least once.  Gill until the figs are caramelized and have nice grill marks to them; this should only take a about 4 minutes per side.

In the meantime, mix the mascarpone cheese and the powder sugar until well combined.  Plate the figs, add a dollop of the cream and top with a few mint leaves. Serve immediately.