Choose Your Own Adventure Cooking - Fig & Rocket Salad

I needed to use up some beautiful figs before they spoiled, and also had to take something to my Mum's place for a last minute get together, so did a spot of Choose Your Own Adventure cooking.

What I found in the Fridge and Pantry:

Fresh figs

Rocket

Danish Fetta

Olive oil
Honey
Cashews

Method (snicker, making it up as I go along):

Quarter the figs, toss them for about 2 minutes in a frypan with a splash of olive oil and a drizzle of honey. Turn off the pan and leave the figs in the warm honey mix.

Throw the Rocket in a bowl, place figs on the Rocket.

Break the Danish Fetta into small chunks and sprinkle over the Figs.

Sprinkle a handful of unsalted cashews over.

Pour the olive oil and honey mix from the pan over the salad.

I thought it would need a dressing (which I didn't have, eek!) but actually it was really nice without one. The nutty/peppery flavour of the Rocket was a beautiful contrast to the sweet Figs and honey, the Danish Fetta added some creaminess and the cashews gve it a little bit of crunch!

It was really delicious, I'll be making this one again next time I can get Fresh Figs!

Fruit Cobbler

Made with fresh nectarines from a dear friend's tree (thanks J.B.!)

This is a recipe of mine originally created from a Choose Your Own Adventure Cooking session, now I use it often, you can use any fresh stone fruit, or use tinned fruit if that's what you have on hand!

Cream 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar.
Add alternately 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup plain wholemeal flour, 1/2 cup plain flour & 3/4 teaspoon bicarb sifted in with the flour.
Add a small dash of vanilla extract.
Spread the mixture into a greased pie dish:

Next, add your fruit. I used nectarines. Just place them on top of the base mixture. The flesh of the nectarines looked a little green but they tasted lovely and sweet, definitely ripe. Maybe it's the type of nectarine?

Sprinkle some brown sugar and some shredded coconut on top (sorry, I'm a bit vague about the quantities...not very much, okay? Like in the pic! It's probably a heaped tablespoon or so of brown sugar, and about the same of coconut. I think. Lol. I'm clearly not qualified to hand out recipe advice!)

Bake it at 200 degrees C for about 20-25 minutes. If the middle is still gooey, it's not ready. If the crust is burnt, you cooked it too long!

I was planning to take a lovely shot of it when it came out of the oven looking all golden delicious, but I was too slow. It's the quick and the dead around here after dinner! I managed to shove some kiddies out of the way and take this pic for you:

It's delicious served warm with ice cream. Yum!

Choose Your Own Adventure Cooking

I discovered late this evening that there were 6 very overripe peaches and nectarines in my fruit bowl that I did not want to waste, so I decided that dessert was in order. I did think of searching online for an appropriate recipe, but then thought it's been a while since I've done some Choose Your Own Adventure Cooking! I love Choose Your Own Adventure Cooking: I start out with an ingredient (overripe stonefruit in this case) and a vague idea (dessert) and just start chopping and throwing things into pots. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's a great lesson in what not to do. Tonight, it seems, it worked! The result: Fruit Tartlets.

Method (snicker, if you can call it that)

Roughly chop stone fruit and throw into pot.

Add sparkling white wine (because that's what is open in the fridge) and a small quantity of raw sugar.

Simmer.

Forage in kitchen for other suitable ingredients.

Add small handful of blueberries and sultanas, a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract.

Muse over what on earth could be done next with quantity of stewed fruit.

Following suggestion by The Bloke Who Lives At My Place, search for pastry.

Discover shortcrust pastry in freezer. Excellent. Line tartlet tine with pastry.

Fill pastry rounds with stewed fruit.

Rummage in pantry for suitable toppings as not enough shortcrust pastry to cut rounds for lids.
Top with a mixture of hazlenut meal and brown sugar. Inspired!

Bake at 200degrees C for about 10 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream. Mmm delicious.

All's well that ends well, thanks for sharing my cooking adventures! Do you like to cook 'on the fly'? Make it up as you go along? What daring adventures have you had in the kitchen lately?