A man with the nicest name, Erminio, gave me a jar of his figs preserved in a simple wine syrup. He suggested serving them with mascarpone and cocoa.
dried figs 250g dry vermouth 300ml sugar 70g lemon peel a twist cinnamon 1 stick fennel seeds a pinch mascarpone 250g egg 1 cocoa powder for dusting toasted hazelnuts a handful
Bring the figs and vermouth to boil over a low flame with the lemon peel, cinnamon, fennel and 2 tbsp of the sugar. Simmer for 7 minutes. Turn off and leave to cool.
Separate the egg into 2 bowls. Whisk the white to soft peaks before gradually adding half the sugar, whisking continually. Beat the rest of the remaining sugar into the yolk until pale. Whip in the mascarpone until thick and then fold through the whites and chill.
Serve the cool figs with the mascarpone, a dusting of bitter cocoa and a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts.
