Fresh Fig dessert

Figs are difficult. If you live in an area where they grow, you are a fortunate soul. If you don't, the chances of you getting your hands on good figs is slim.

But if you do - what do you do with them? Besides just eating them, of course. Ripe figs are honey-sweet, with a beautiful crunch from the seeds. They don't keep well, either (which is why it's difficult to get them in your hands if you don't live where they grow.)

This way of serving fresh figs for dessert is from the Mayo Clinic. It's about as healthy as dessert gets. I, of course, have tweaked it a bit. Cut your figs in a cross pattern from the stem nearly to the bottom, leaving enough of the bottom to hold the fig together. Mash about a tablespoon of mascarpone cheese into the fig, then top with a walnut half (though I would say for eating purposes it's better if you top it with a few nice chunks of walnut).

My tweaks: Stir a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of salt into the mascarpone. Sprinkle with praline powder (crunch, crunch) before topping with your walnut.

A delicious variant of this would be ginger (which is a perfect flavor pairing for figs). In addition to or instead of the walnut, top your fig and cheese with lovely, perfect candied ginger. If you love ginger (like I do), you could chop some of the bits and mix that into the mascarpone. Yum! I candy my own ginger here in France, but if you have access to The Ginger People ginger bits, go with that. Nobody does candied ginger better - it's soft, hot, chewy, sweet - in other words, perfect!

This is a great make ahead dessert. It's easy, it's tasty and refreshing. It's also a bit unique, if you aren't a big 'fig eater'.