Honey Mead and Roasted Figs

The honey mead fizzed and bubbled, little pieces of oak bobbing to the surface as it brewed in the darkened closet. We had made the mead ourselves, mixing purified water with glistening ribbons of honey and yeast, watching excitedly as it fermented, waiting impatiently for the weeks to pass quickly so we could taste then bottle it.

It was our first attempt at home brewing in the CEG (Culinary Experimentation Group), and when bottling day arrived everyone was in high spirits. We took turns sanitizing, pouring and corking, and were pleased as punch to see the glistening bottles lined up on the counter.

After so much hard work we were ravenously hungry so while the guys cleaned up all the brewing gear, Kat and I dashed off to the store to pick up last minute fixings for dinner.

We decided our dinner party needed flowers so when we spotted these beauties we snatched them right up!

Simple but nourishing was our mantra for the meal, and we found plenty to fit the bill. I diced red potatoes and garlic while Toby chopped fresh dill, then we combined the lot with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them until crisp and browned.

Kat made scrumptious sauteed kale with caramelized onions and niblets of garlic.

 Darren prepped onions and asparagus wrapped with thick sliced bacon for the grill, and Cameron smoked salmon and chicken to perfection. 

It was still warm enough to sit outside that night, so we ate under the stars, the wind sighing through the trees as we visited. While the others finished up, I nipped back inside to roast some figs and top them with a luscious mascarpone brandy sauce dusted with cinnamon.

Twas a fine way to end a hard day of labor. :-)

Roasted Figs with Mascarpone Brandy Sauce

1 basket fresh figs, stemmed, washed and halved

1 tub mascarpone cheese, softened

2-3 Tbsp brandy

1 tsp honey

Cinnamon for dusting

1. Arrange figs on baking sheet and roast at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
2. Blend mascarpone with brandy and honey until smooth. 
3. When figs are done, let them cool for 1 minute before arranging on dishes.
4. Spoon mascarpone brandy sauce over warm figs, dust with cinnamon and serve immediately.