How to Make a Flower Garnish With a Fig
The glistening interior of a rose and rust-hued fig is the product of nectar glossing a multitude of tiny flowers. It is altogether fitting to display the vibrant, flowered interior of the fruit in a graphic, floral presentation. Trimming a fig into a flower requires you to slice through part of its green exterior, enabling you to peel pieces down in petal-like shapes. The technique is unlike creating other flower-shaped garnishes, but it yields a final product that is no less striking. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Set a fig vertically on a cutting board with the stem pointing upward.
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Insert the tip of a sharp chef's knife into the top of the fig. Insert 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the tip so that it barely reaches the dark, moist center of the fruit. Pull the knife down to score the fruit. Stop scoring the fruit when the knife is a half-inch above the cutting board.
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Turn the fig about a half inch. Insert the tip of a sharp chef's knife into the top of the fig near the first insertion point. The two insertion points should create a pointed shape at the base of the stem.
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Score the fruit four more times for a total of six cuts. Each segment should be equal in width.
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Lay the blade of the knife flat against the top of the fruit. Point the tip of the knife into a scored line. Slide the tip into the green rind halfway between the exterior edge of the rind and the interior edge of the rind where the fruit begins. Push the knife gently to pierce through the center of the rind.
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Slide the knife down the side of the fig to slice the rind in half. Stop cutting when you reach the bottom of the scored lines. The fruit should still have some rind on the fruit, but half as much as before. Leave the sliced half of the rind on the fruit.
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Repeat the cutting action to slice through all six segments of the rind.
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Peel the exterior slices of rind down toward the cutting board. Stop peeling the pieces when you reach the bottom of the scored lines. The fig should resemble a green flower with six petals.
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Turn the fig on its side. Take care not to crush the rind petals. Cut through the middle of the fruit to remove the top half. Refrain from cutting the peeled rind petals in any way.
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Set the fig right side up to reveal a flower with six pointed green petals and a dark, glossy center.
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Tips & Warnings
Though you can use figs that are darker and more developed than green figs, the rind of a green fig peels easier than a darker rind.
Unripened green figs may have a milky, latex-like juice that drips from their rind as you cut into them. Some people experience irritation when the juice touches their skin. Wear gloves when you start handling the figs if are not sure about the fruit's degree of ripeness. Most of the figs in markets and stores, even if they are green, do not contain this juice any longer.
References
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
