"FIG" news and stories

Prosciutto, brie and fig preserves crepe. Photo: Sarah LeTrent

Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food staffer Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."

As the last days of August draw near and summertime dwindles away, it's hard not to become a touch depressed. For many, this time of year means the end of vacation season and the renewal of daily routine of alarm clocks and venti, non-fat, extra hot lattes. But summer vacation doesn't need to be over -- not yet.

Crêpes, basically really thin French pancakes, are a delicious escape to France from the daily grind. That's the beauty of food: One bite can instantly transport you to a different time or place.

Porgy. Photo: jasonlam, flickr

A fish better known for its contribution to the American songbook than the American dinner plate is being touted as a sustainable alternative to grouper and red snapper. Southern conservationists are now championing red porgy, the fish that was once so ubiquitous on low-country docks that it lent its name to the hero of George Gershwin's opera, "Porgy and Bess."

While the effort has been slightly hampered by chefs' reluctance to tinker with unfamiliar proteins and the lingering social stigma associated with eating red porgy, backers believe the fish's taste and history make it an excellent candidate to diversify coastal diets.

Not everyone looks forward to the cooler weather of fall, and I'm one of them. I really prefer warmer temperatures, but I do look forward to fall food. All of the different squash dishes, puddings, and citrus flavors are so welcome that I can almost forgive the chill in the air. I've been searching for different fall influenced bread recipes and I think I've found some good ones. Check them out and you be the judge.

1. This fig and anise bread sounds so amazing, I'm planning on making this one soon!
2. What could be more fall than a pumpkin bread pudding?
3. It seems more difficult to find a pumpkin yeast bread, but I found one amid all the quick breads.
4. Chestnut rye is a little more unusual of a flavor, but that's what makes it special.
5. Sweet potato rolls deserve a place on everyone's fall table.
6. This cornbread from the Homesick Texan may not be strictly fall, but the cornbread dressing you can make with it sure is.
7. Orange yeast bread is also more rare than its quick bread cousin.
8. Sure cranberry is usually paired with orange, but why not let it shine on its own?

In ancient Greece, figs were eaten during frenzied sexual rituals. That fact alone should be enough to get some figs on the Valentine's Day menu!

However, the reason figs are associated with aphrodisiacs is that a fresh fig, when cut open, looks like (not too sound too clinical or anything) a certain part of the female reproductive system. Who wouldn't think of fertility when seeing all those tiny little seeds?!?!

Fresh figs are seasonal, and more than likely, not available during Valentine's day, but dried figs are available year round.

Forget about newtons. Fresh figs are taking over with new varieties and lots of new ways to use them, sometimes simply raw and cut open the best. Other recipes are: Pork Chops with Roasted Figs, Fig-honey Gelato, and Fig Salad with Prosciutto and Basil.

Bon Appetit magazine celebrates 50 years with its first ever cookbook. Three recipes from the book: Grilled Steak Salad with Green Beans and Blue Cheese, Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes and Marjoram, and Giant Chocolate-toffee Cookies.

On the dining scene, little Delicious caters to Frank Gehry and other "creatives" in an industrial park in Playa Vista. SIV gives new Philippe Starck-designed Katsuya in Brentwood one star (*).