The genius of this attention-grabbing recipe lies
in French cooking master Richard Olney’s bizarre but clever selection of
ingredients, and the ways he harnessed their best traits.
First, you muddle fresh
mint in lemon juice and let it steep for 30 minutes. Then you strain out the
battered leaves, while their cooling oils remain. Next, you stir in some salt,
then some cream (Olney liked his thick and unpasteurized). The acid in the lemon
juice thickens the cream effortlessly, without curdling it. (It does this so
well that if you use a whisk and not a spoon, you may unintentionally end up
with tart whipped cream—which isn’t a bad thing, but Olney was going for
something closer to half-whipped.) As dressings go, this isn’t like any we
know—instead, it’s akin to a sharper, fresher, instant crème fraîche or
yogurt.
But it gets odder still: You’ll have chilled the
figs in the coldest part of the fridge before scattering them on the plate with
cream, prosciutto, and more mint. So many foods taste better at room
temperature, their flavors looser and more developed. But here, the coolness
means that a plate that could feel heavy—with the salty fat of prosciutto, the
jammy richness of figs, and cream—doesn’t.
Serves 5 or 6
2 pounds (900g) ripe figs, freshly
picked if possible
3 thin slices prosciutto, fat
removed
12 to 15 leaves fresh
mint
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
¼ cup (60ml) heavy
cream
1 Peel the figs (or don’t—I didn’t) and cut a bit more
than halfway down from the stem end, making two incisions in the form of a
cross. Press gently from the sides to open them slightly (as one does with a
baked potato). Arrange the figs closely on a serving dish and chill for about 1
hour in the coldest part of the refrigerator (not the freezer).
2 Cut the prosciutto into fine julienne strips about 1
inch (2.5cm) in length and matchstick width.
3 Crush about half of the mint leaves in the lemon
juice and leave to macerate for 20 to 30 minutes, then discard the crushed
leaves.
4 Dissolve the salt into the lemon juice and slowly
stir in the cream—the acid of the lemon will thicken it somewhat, and its
addition in small quantities at a time with continued stirring encourages the
thickening. Taste and add salt, if necessary.
5 Plate as desired. Olney’s recommendation: Sprinkle
the figs with half of the sliced prosciutto, spoon over the cream sauce,
distribute the remaining prosciutto on the surface, and decorate with the
remaining mint leaves
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