I will take figs any possible way you can serve them: as a jam, on pizza, with ice cream, stuffed with goat cheese, dipped in chocolate, on a salad, by themselves…shall I go on? And now, Denise has gone and grilled them and dressed them up with marscarpone and a port reduction – I am beside myself. This is one of the prettiest summer desserts I could imagine serving. – Maggie

I began grilling fruit a few summers ago and still think it was one of the best food decisions I’ve made. I remember the timing remarkably well. I was in a bit of a rut, looking for something to serve with a grilled pork loin. The obvious was a tomato based salsa, but, I was bored with the usual. So, I took some peaches, sliced them in half and began grilling.

Since that first blissful moment, I have been grilling all sorts of fruit for both savory dishes as well as sweet desserts. I love the slightly smoke taste and adore how the natural sugars of the fruit begin to caramelize over, causing a sweet, gooey mess.

Grilled figs are one of those fruits that work exceptionally well in savory, as well as sweet dishes. I use figs that are slightly firm to the touch, not overly ripe, as they hold up on the grill better. I do not coat them with any oils, I simply lay them on the grill and let them get jammy. It only takes a couple minutes before you have gorgeous grill marks and intensely fragrant fruit. Figs caramelize gorgeously. They remind me of a pot of bubbly jam when grilled.

This dessert recipe is a sexy way to showcase jammy, grilled figs. The figs go extremely well with rich mascarpone cheese and an intense port reduction. They are heavenly with each tender bite. I warn you, this dessert is not only elegant, but very rich. There are a lot of flavors playing with each other, and you only need to serve a small amount to each guest. But it is guaranteed to wow at your next summer soiree.

Grilled Figs with Mascarpone Cheese and Port Wine Reduction

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 pint figs, cut in half
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup of port

Directions:

Preheat your grill according to the directions of your grill. Once ready, lay each fig onto the hot grill. Gently cook the fruit only until there are slight grill marks and the fruit is slightly warm; about 1 - 2 minutes per side. The timing depends on how hot the grill is and how large the figs are. Remove from the grill and set aside.
Whip the mascarpone cheese with the brown sugar until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, gently heat the port. Cook until reduced in half, about 13 minutes. Remove from the heat. The port will thicken as it cools down.
To serve: put a dollop of sweet, mascarpone cheese into a small serving bowl, scatter with some of the grilled figs and drizzle a small amount of port over the top.

All photos styled and taken by Denise Woodward.

Eat Boutique is an award-winning shop and story-driven recipe site created by Maggie Battista–shop girl, writer, author, and creative business coach. After hosting pop-up markets for 25,000+ guests, Maggie is working to open her first permanent Eat Boutique–a food-retail concept space with a new way to the very best food–as well as coaching women in food to reach life and business goals. Her second cookbook, A New Way to Food: 100 Recipes to Encourage a Healthy Relationship with Food, Nourish Your Beautiful Body, and Celebrate Real Wellness for Life, will be published by Roost Books on February 5, 2019.

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