Food Blogs
Leftovers: Fig Fest 2011
Posted by jamescollier on Aug 15, 2011
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I first discovered figs in my early teens—I was visiting my grandparents on a ranch in Texas, and there was a single, overflowing fig tree. I have a substantial sweet tooth, and immediately fell in love with the flavor. So much so that I made myself sick (I'm not good with moderation).
I was reminded of that discovery on Saturday, as I waddled away from Fig Fest, fresh figs in hand.
I showed up just before the gates opened on Saturday and joined other media folk at the VIP judges' table (I'm still not sure how I made this list, but I'm not complaining).
A few of my favorites:
I never caught the official name of this potsticker with fresh fig and peppers, but it was prepared by Slates, and it was delcious.
Vineyard Restaurant served something similar last year, but this bacon-wrapped fig stuffed with goat cheese made the judges happy.
Always creative, Trelio stuffed stiped figs with creme brûlée, complete with caramelized sugar on top. They ran through 1,500 by 11:00 a.m.
Also at the judges' table (in response to our feedback last year): wine.
At 9:00 a.m.
Don't judge us.
A few more shots from the festivities:
Special thanks to a few folks:
California Fig Advisory Board - for hosting such a great event, and for inviting TasteFresno to be a part of it
Kristy Page - for filling in as "unofficial intern" (if you stopped by our booth, you talked to her!)
Tracy Newel - for guest hosting a segment for the TF NoNetwork show
Did you go on Saturday? What was your favorite fig dish?
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Comments
Shy | Mon, 2011-08-15 13:56
I personally did not care for the potstickers. I felt they were over done, the lamb was really gamey. The wonton wrapper was thick and rubbery. The sauce almost tasted burnt. Maybe a little too much fermented black bean. I was really excited about them too. They looked fabulous. But I have to admit that I spit it out. Blech.
My favorite by far was DeAngelo's fig popper. It was the yummiest balance of sweet and savory. I am making them myself this weekend. Their pizza was pretty yummy too.
I liked the bacon wrapped fig, my only complaint with it was that it wasn't really meant for that kind of a venue. You actually needed two hands to eat it. Maybe a smaller fig would have worked better. But the flavor was fabulous.
I loved it, had a great time. Good points and bad points. Overall I had wished to see more savory recipes because lets face it, we can all do a sweet fig! Can't wait until next year!
By the way----WHO WON???
jamescollier | Mon, 2011-08-15 14:19
Shylene, I'm with you on the request for more savory recipes. Perhaps that's why I liked the potsticker - I judged three desserts first, all with added sugar, so it was a welcomed change of flavor. It had potential, at least. (I also liked the messiness of the bacon-wrapped fig, but you're right - it's not finger friendly.)
I'm a little sad that I missed the fig poppers - our table didn't judge those, and they were long gone by the time we were done.
As for winners, I know De Angelo's took top honors from the judges; I believe Vineyard took second and Slates third, but I may have swapped those. I don't know who one crowd favorite...
Shy | Mon, 2011-08-15 14:50
I am sorry you missed the poppers, they were fabulous. I think that maybe if I had tasted all the sweet stuff first it might have made the potstickers better, but I had just had the poppers. So it set the bar kind of high. Good to hear that De Angelos took top honors. They deserved it.
alisamanjarrez | Wed, 2011-08-17 14:22
Wow, James! Sad I missed this one. How many people were there?
jamescollier | Wed, 2011-08-17 20:37
Last I heard it was over 2,000 - they had 1,100 pre-sales!