Galettes Bretonne with caramelized figs

& how to make the perfect fig jam

In turning distractedly to look at the canal, I can see it.
I’ve passed through here many times before, and every time I stop to look at that beautiful branch of the fig tree that sticks out from some kind of secret garden and stretches over the canal.
These are the little beauties of Venice that, more than any other, make my heart ache. There is too much beauty around here. How can everything be so poetic? How can a place be so many things at once?
Venice is like a small theatre where even the simple things, such as a fig branch, can find their own perfect harmony by being transformed into some unexpected wonder.
Everything is so uncertain here. What you see today, you never know if it will still be there tomorrow. Like grandparents.
The warm air of September deceives me. It looks like summertime but that little old tree reminds me that Autumn is getting near.
I also have a fig tree in the garden, and generally, September is always a very generous month for fruits.
I’ve always thought that having even just one fruit tree at the height of its fruit-bearing makes you rich. It’s incredible how many fruits it can give! Each year I forget about it and then I marvel at such excessive abundance. Take it easy my dear Tree!

In Veneto, figs are considered a kind of precious fruit. They can easily grow and easily go rotten at the first sign of humidity. Good figs need a dry climate with no rain and lots of sunshine. I remember having eaten the best ever in Tuscany. Their skin was green with slightly purple veining. They were neither white nor black and not even very large. More than fifteen years ago, after having realized how good that particular species of fig was, my father brought back home, from Tuscany, what is now a big fig tree in our garden.

I’ve never considered myself a patient person, but to be able to live at a slower pace and more according to the seasons has been useful in understanding how good it is to let myself be carried away in doing tasks that require a good amount of patience and time, like making jam, for example.
Jar after jar, it’s a real pleasure to stock up on food for the winter months.
Fig jam is one of those things for which it’s worth being patient. You should absolutely try it with some buckwheat crepes! With the addition of some caramelized figs… you will be gobsmacked!
Making fig jam is easy but I’d like to share some tips that will make it great, denser and caramelized, perfect for the crepes.

First: you should use brown sugar. This isn’t good for every kind of jam, but for fig jam, it’s perfect because the fruit caramelized differently compare to white one.

Second: you should make the jam a bit at a time. Therefore, don’t fill very large pots to the brim but make smaller quantities, enough to fill two or three jars at the most.

Third: cook it slowly on low heat for about one hour, ensuring that the fruit dries well. I assure you that by following these three steps, together with good quality figs – better if they are small and not too watery – you will have the best jam ever made.
The addition of caramelized figs is the decisive touch for crepes, but even more so for galettes Bretonne. The two flavors combine perfectly: the sweetness of the figs with the bitterness of buckwheat flour. So here to follow are the step-by-step recipes for making this lovely September breakfast.

FIG JAM

Ingredients:

(Makes about 2 jars of 250ml each)

•  1kg fresh figs

• 250g brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Wash and wipe dry the figs. Take off the tip and cut into 4 wedges. Then, put them into a non-stick saucepan.

2. Cook over low heat for about 10/15 minutes until the figs are soft.

3. Add the sugar and simmer for about 50 minutes stirring occasionally until thickened.

4. Pour the hot jam into the sterilized jars, then put the lid on and close well, and turn the jars upside down.

5. Cover the jars with a blanket so that they will cool down slowly and will be vacuum-sealed.

GALETTES BRETONNE DE SARRASIN WITH CARAMELIZED FIGS

Ingredients:
(Makes about 6 galettes)

• 1 egg

• 100ml milk

• 150ml water

• 70g plain flour

• 70g buckwheat flour

• 1 pinch of salt

•   butter

Caramelized figs:

• 8/10 fresh figs

• 150g granulated sugar

• 50g butter

• 2 tbsp water

Galettes de Sarrasin Instructions:

1. In a large bowl mix the two flours together with 2 pinches of salt. Add some of the milk and water a bit at a time. Stir well to remove any lumps.

2. Add to the mixture a whole egg. Stir well to combine the mixture that should be fluid but not too fluid.

3. Cover the mixture with a clingfilm and let it stand for at least one hour in the fridge. Remove it from the fridge and stir it again.

4. Grease a pan for crepes with some butter and put it on high heat. Pour a large spoonful of the mixture into the middle of the pan. Tilt the pan so that the mixture coats the surface evenly.

5. Cook for about a minute till the crepe loosens from the pan, flip it over, and cook the other side till it becomes slightly brown.

6. Continue in the same way with the rest of the mixture, and grease the pan with a little butter between one crepe and another.

Caramelized Figs Instructions:

1. Wash and gently wipe the figs dry then cut in half. Don't peel them.

2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Spread the sugar evenly into the pan and cook until the sugar is melted and it is golden brown, then leave to simmer.

3. Add the butter stirring with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and add 2 tbsp of water stirring very well to keep the caramel fluid.

4. Place the figs with the half upside up into the caramel sauce. Put back over low heat for 10 minutes. Baste the top of the figs with the caramel, and leave to cool in the pan.