It is my great honour to announce that I am the host of the 35th edition of Sugar High Friday!
Created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess over two years ago, Sugar High Friday is an event to celebrate all that is sweet in our lives.
Every type of sweet imagineable has been explored over the previous 34 editions of this event, so when Jennifer e-mailed me to let me know that I would be able to host in September 2007, I had to make a decision.
What to choose as a theme?
After mulling it over for awhile, I decided it was time to give the glorious fig its due.
To this day, I am always amazed by the number of people who have never tried a fresh fig. While many people are familiar with dried figs, fresh ones are much harder to come by. Here in Toronto, I know many people who go to great lengths to cultivate fresh fig trees. I know some people who have built greenhouses in their backyards simply for the trees!
While it is usually referred to as a fruit, the fig is actually the flower of the fig tree. Cutting into the pear-shaped fruit is such an experience! The fruit is filled to bursting with tiny seeds and when you cut into a perfectly ripe fig, it’s as though it secretes its own honey.
And the flavour! How to describe one of the truly great flavours in this world? A fresh fig is sweet and soft. It is somehow warm and refreshing at the same time.
For SHF #35, I want all of you to go out there and explore the world of figs. You can submit any dessert you like featuring figs in whatever form you like: fresh figs, dried figs, fig preserves, fig honey, fig sugar, fig extract … surprise me!
If you’ve never had a fig, then look at this as an opportunity to discover something new.
Here are the details for SHF #35:
Prepare a sweet featuring figs in any form that you like.
Post your creation by midnight on Monday September 24th. (The roundup will be posted on Friday September 28th).
E-mail me (creampuffsinvenice {at} gmail {dot} com) the permalink to your post, as well as your blog name and a photo of your creation.
The fig is a truly beautiful food. I hope that you enjoy exploring the many ways it can be enjoyed and I cannot wait to be inspired by the results!
Ciao!
Here are some resources for useful facts about figs:
BBC Food – Figs
California Figs
Wikipedia – Ficus
Fig Fruit Facts
Fresh Figs, Anyone?
Fine Cooking – Figs
And for a bit of fun, here are some books and cookbooks that present the fig in an interesting light:
The Sweetest Fig
Stolen Figs: And Other Adventures in Calabria
Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran
The Girl & The Fig Cookbook
From the Lands of Figs and Olives: Over 300 Delicious and Unusual Recipes from the Middle East and Northern Africa
Fig Heaven: 70 Recipes for the World’s Most Luscious Fruit
Fig Pudding
The Fig Eater: A Novel
Roast Figs, Sugar Snow: Food to Warm the Soul
Technorati tags: 
sugar high friday, 
figs
41 comments
Elle
Fantastic…figs are so versatile and yummy!
maria~
Gosh, it’s that time of the year again, no? Those figs look so beautiful! I’ve been seeing some at Whole Foods. Do you think they would go well with a French triple cream cheese?
sam
mmm- i just made something wonderfully fig but I am going to have to post about it rather sooner than SHF unfortunately because I will be away at the time of September for a couple of weeks and probably no blogging.
Otherwise it would have been the perfect entry – and one I am sure you will get from someone else anyway.
Plus I can’t wait that long to tell everyone about it
good luck hosting!
sam
Valli
When I was in Greece I saw fig trees everywhere, but alas it was May and figs were out of season. I am one of the many who has never had a fresh, ripe fig!!!
Tarty Tartelette
Wonderful and that tart…look at that beauty!
Amy
*raises hand* Yup I’ve never tried a fig! I hope I can find some in my neck of the woods so I can finally have a taste. Great theme!
peabody
I will have to think on this one. And since you are hosting I will break down and try to get an entry in!
joey
Oooh! Fantastic theme Ivonne! I tasted fresh figs for the first time in my life on my honeymoon in Spain last year…talk about love at first bite! I was captivated
Unfortunately, we don’t grow them fresh here. But I can get some dried so I’ll definitely try to get an entry in! 
african vanielje
I love the site, I love the fig tart, I’ve just joined the daring bakers. Life is Sweet.
Figs Olives Wine
Ivonne, I can’t wait to check out these links (I loved The Fig Eater), and I had no clue that the fig is a flower! How fascinating – I think that made me like them even more. Gorgeous tart by the way – I have some little ones going up soon.
Amanda @ Little Foodies
My favourite fig memory… Picking them fresh from a tree and eating them right away while walking with my hubby in Andalucia, Spain. Earliest fig memory: chewy fig rolls (biscuits) at my maternal Great Grandmothers home.
Yummy yummy figs and a great theme Ivonne!
veron
oooh…so excited about the theme. Fresh figs are very popular in our household. The hubby just brought home 3 trays of them. I really need to look for the ultimate fig dessert!
Laura Rebecca
Thanks for hosting Ivonne! I’m really excited about this theme & have to find something really good!
Elle
You’ve been tagged for the Schmooze Award
Jenny
I may be emailing you about this one Ivonne – I have not yet learned how to tell if a fig is ripe or over ripe, so have not tried anything with them in it – though I did buy one once to eat out of hand. It wasn’t very good – so I suspect I did not get a good, ripe fig.
Christina
How beautiful! I love the taste of figs, and figs paired with a buttery pastry would be great.
Paz
Cool! I believe your very first post on your food blog was a really nice fig recipe. It is still on my “To Make” list.
Paz
Janice
I’ve actually never cooked with figs. Can’t wait to see some of the recipes!
Kevin
I do not think that I have ever seen a fresh fig before. I will have to look for them the St Lawrence Market this weekend.
Jasmine
hi your food website looks so cute, and all the food pictures look so tantalising. omgoodness. can’t wait to see more recipes!
p.s: i love cooking too, but normally i just bake. ahah.
xoxo.
Liliana Tommasini
Congrats on hosting Sugar High Fridays!
I LOVE figs!! – fresh figs, dried figs, any kind of figs. Where I live (Laval, Quebec – one bridge away from Montreal, Quebec) fresh figs are not easily found so I use dried figs for bakng.
I will have to post my recipe before September 12th as I will be in Italy for a couple of weeks (hopefully eating fresh figs).
Great choice Ivonne!
Hillary
I was never into figs but they are really beautiful….maybe I should give them another go one of these days. Congrats on hosting SHF#35!
Judith
I’ve never had a fig of any kind! I do like trying things new, though, so I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Seriously doubt I’ll find the fresh kind in Iowa but maybe I can make use of another sort.
Britt-Arnhild
Mmmm, Sugar High Friday
I am home from work today and think I will bake a cake for tonight.
zorra
I love figs! Count with me!
Rose
My hubby and I love figs. Although we are not lucky here in Michigan with beautiful figs, For you my dear Ivonne I will try to come up with something nice. If I can find some worthy figs. Have a sweet weekend Ivonne, as sweet as your beautiful Tart.
VeggieGirl
Figs (both fresh and dried) are, in my opinion, one of the most perfect fruits out there – they can be incorporated into both savory AND sweet dishes (or simply enjoyed on their own), and they are PACKED with fiber and other vital nutrients!! Thank you for spotlighting the wonderful fig!! :0)
erin
I hate to contradict you here but the fig is a fruit. The fact that it has seeds in it makes it a fruit in the same way that technically tomatoes and peppers (including some versions of the spice) are fruit.
Not that this should take away from the many wonders of figs as food…
Kat
This tart looks delicious. I should try more recipes with figs.
MyKitchenInHalfCups
Gosh, Ivonne, that is a wonderful list of books! No doubt I’ll find more than one I’ll want to have!
Gabi
Wow, That fig tart looks so scrumptious!
I can’t wait to get figgy! Looking forward to your hosting of SHF!
Erika of Sweet Pea Blog
I was secretly hoping that you would choose nominate ‘the fig’ for this SHF, as I have a little recipe I have been waiting to try. Will be in touch
Hippolyra
Wonderful! I am so glad that I found this as I bought a tray of figs on Saturday!
Namratha
I love fresh figs though I can’t stand the dry ones…weird that I am..hehe..this is a great theme. Hmm must think of something figgy now
Morgan
I just picked some figs off grandma’s tree last night! I just may have to join in on this one : )
swirlingnotions
Valle and Amy . . . I think you’re just going to have to come out to Sonoma and try a fig fresh off the tree!
There’s nothing like it.
Glad to have found your blog — I’m looking forward to participating in my first SHF!
Mansi
Hey!! I just emailed you my entry…sorry for the last min rush! but I hope you can include it in the roundup!!
Lob
I love figs. My friend Kevin was eating figs and I decided to try some. They were so good! I have been to Venice before and I yet to try their figs. Next time I go i will be sure to try some.
Kevin D
I think this new recipe looks good. I have never heard of a fig before but i would love to try one of these. The next time I go to the store I will be sure to beg my parents for a fig. Good day to you sir.
LOB AND KEVIN D
What the hell is a fig I never heard of it before and neither has Lob like come on. Hmmmmmmm ill go find a fig right now and eat it
Plastic zipper
i believe it’s must very delicious….
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