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Brevas con arequipe
Brevas con arequipe: green figs candied in spiced panela syrup, filled with milk caramel and fresh cheese
Bogotá's old sweet shops and the dessert counters of Cundinamarca sell brevas caladas, firm green figs cooked for hours in panela syrup until they turn dark, glossy and tender, then split and filled with arequipe. A slice of salty fresh cheese alongside balances all that sugar. They are a classic Christmas and Sunday treat and keep for a week in the fridge, so make them ahead. Use hard, unripe green figs from Middle Eastern or Latin shops; ripe figs fall apart. Arequipe is Colombian milk caramel, the same as dulce de leche. The fresh cheese is usually animal-rennet, so pick a vegetarian one. Skipping the first boils is the common error: the figs keep a bitter, milky sap that spoils the syrup. Chef's tip: cook the syrup slowly and keep the figs just covered; a hard boil splits the skins.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the figs
To fill and serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut a small cross in the stem end of each of the 12 green figs. Put them in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil, then drain.
15 minStep 2: Repeat the boiling once more with fresh water, then rinse and press each fig gently to squeeze out bitter sap.
15 minStep 3: Dissolve 14 oz panela in 4 ¼ cups water in a heavy pan with 1 cinnamon stick and 4 cloves over a medium heat.
Step 4: Add the figs and simmer gently, partly covered, turning them now and then, until dark brown, glossy and very tender, and the syrup is thick.
110 minStep 5: Leave the figs to cool in the syrup, then chill. They keep for a week in the fridge.
Step 6: To serve, split each fig open from the cross and fill with a teaspoon of 5 ½ oz arequipe. Serve with a slice of 5 ½ oz fresh white cheese and a spoonful of syrup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does brevas con arequipe take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
- What can I use instead of cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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