I was mindlessly flipping through my Martha Stewart’s Cooking School cookbook the other day, did a double-take when I saw a drool-worthy photo of Caramelized Figs, and decided that I needed to make them immediately. The photo was stunning and I wanted said caramelized figs in my belly asap! And that’s all that needs to be said about that, so let’s get to it!
Here’s what you need:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 pint figs, about a dozen, havled lengthwise
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, (or ruby or tawny port wine, or marsala wine)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Here’s what you do:
• In a shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and the salt. Press the cut side of each fig into the sugar mixture to coat.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat and add figs, cut sides down, and cook until the sugar and juices caramelize, about 3-4 minutes.
• Make sure to turn the figs over as they brown.
• Remove the skillet from heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Return to heat and cook to reduce the syrup, roughly 30 seconds, making sure to scrape up any caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat again and add butter and lemon juice; gently swirling to combine.
Oh, hi pretty 
You can serve these warm or at room temperature. I obviously didn’t have the patience to let them cool so I ate a bunch while they were nice and warm! The only thing they were missing was a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, but they were equally satisfying alone. The nice touch of butter used while deglazing the pan added the perfect touch of richness and smoothness to the sauce. Martha also suggests serving over yogurt or pairing with a slice of pound or sponge cake. And the texture sort of reminded me of the grilled peaches I always make in the summer! This is definitely a very simple dessert worth trying!
[Chels]