Delicious Fall Dessert Recipe from DEFINE’s Erin O’Leary Stewart

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by Erin O’Leary Stewart.  As the Co-owner of DEFINE body & mind and Director of DEFINE foods, Erin is an expert on health and wellness. She earned her culinary degree from New York City’s Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts and focuses on using natural, seasonal ingredients aimed towards healing in order to live a balanced and grounded lifestyle.  We are always searching for the perfect recipes for entertaining or just for the family, but it can be hard to find things that are delicious and healthy.  For that reason, we knew Erin would be the perfect partner to help us up our cooking game while staying health conscious along the way.  We hope you love learning from Erin as much as we do! 

Today we’re cooking a super simple and nutritious recipe centered on one of my favorite seasonal ingredients: figs. It’s a short season for figs, so when they’re available you want to grab them! They are the perfect fall transitional fruit, sweet and elegant. This delicious recipe is perfect as a pretty dessert for group gatherings and it can also double as breakfast.

First, I’ll give you a little back story on my recipe creating process. For each recipe that I develop for our DEFINE foods program at DEFINE body & mind, I start with the principle that a healthy digestive system is essential to our wellbeing and energy . I always incorporate ingredients that are not only seasonal but also beneficial to your digestive system and overall health. Figs aid in digestion by cleansing and soothing the intestine and they are one of the few fruits that contain valuable omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are also very high in antioxidants and contain more bioflavonoid than any other fruit.

In addition to figs, this recipe also incorporates calm, cooling, and soothing quality foods and spices including coconut, thyme, and cardamom. The aromatic thyme is a warming herb that supports the lungs, spleen, kidneys, bladder, heart and uterus and helps with circulation. This combination of the sweet and savory ingredients lends to an interesting and sophisticated bite — you will be sure to impress your dinner guests!

Roasted Figs with Coconut, Cardamom & Thyme

Yield: 6

1 cup coconut palm sugar

1 vanilla bean, split

3 strips of lemon zest

1 large thyme sprig, plus more for garnish

2 cups water

2 cups of ripe figs, halved

1 can coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

¼ tsp cardamom

flaky sea salt

Optional toppings: toasted and chopped pistachios, coconut flakes, fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saucepan combine the sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, thyme and water. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.

Brush the figs with the syrup and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with a knife, about 20- 25 minutes. Cool slightly. Pour the remaining syrup over the figs and allow to marinate for an hour or longer.

To make the cardamom cream, scrape the solidified coconut cream from the top half of the chilled coconut milk and place into a chilled stand mixer bowl. Do not include any of the coconut water from the bottom half of the can. Whisk on high speed for a few minutes, adding in the maple syrup and cardamom, until the mixture begins to stiffen. Chill covered in the refrigerator.

To serve, place a few fig segments in the bottom of your serving dish and spoon some of the cardamom cream on top. Garnish with toasted pistachios, coconut flakes, fresh thyme and flaky sea salt. Drizzle a little of the thyme syrup on top.

*The figs and the cream can be done up to 3 days in advance. Store covered separately in the refrigerator. Best to serve at room temperature.