Let’s make Christmas: Fig Rolls

I was invited to attend the Let’s make Christmas Food Blogger Gift Swap at Fortnum & Mason organised by Vanessa Kimbell. Oh how I wish I could go. Oh how I wish. .. <Slaps self around the face>  Right, enough of that.

Not to be thwarted by work, I am taking part remotely in the online version. The closing date for entries to win Dan Lepards “Short and Sweet” is the 10th Nov 2011, so better get a wriggle on if you want to join in.

I decided to make Golden Fig Rolls. Figs are a very Christmas-y ingredient and these little mouthfuls of crunchy sweetness are so easy to make in big batches that they’ll save you time too (I only made half a batch and that was enough for the equivalent of 4 store-bought boxes). I gave each roll a little brush of the Mich Turner gold lustre just to add an extra festive touch, and since my colleagues have already  demolished the lot I think I can safely say they were a success. For the next batch I plan to replace a little of the water with Cointreau or mulled wine and throw a bit of cinnamon in to give them that really warming winter flavour.  I’d also like to get them a bit more even in size, so clearly I’ll just have to practice.

I’ll post a link to all the entries when the competition closes

Golden Fig Rolls

450g finely chopped dried figs, stalks removed
450ml water (or replace some of this with cointreau / mulled wine/ your choice)
1 vanilla pod deseeded and seeds added to figs (you could add some cinnamon or allspice too)
Juice of ½ lemon
250g butter or margarine
170g icing sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 medium free-range organic eggs, beaten
550g plain flour

Preheat your oven to 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4.
Simmer the figs, vanilla seeds, water and lemon juice (and alcohol / spices if using) until tender. 
Use a stick blender to whizz them into a thick paste
Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar and lemon zest until light.
Beat in all but 2 tablespoons of the egg.
Fold in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover in cling-wrap. Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Roll out pastry to form a large rectangle. Cut into four long pieces.
Spread fig mixture thickly down the centres of each length. Roll lengthways like Swiss rolls, tucking in rough edges and cutting into bite-sized pieces.

Lay on a lined or greased baking sheet and brush with remaining egg. Bake for 30 mins until golden.
When cooled you may want to neaten up the edges with a sharp knife and perhaps give them a little golden shimmer!