' FIG LEAF CIGAR .'

Caramelised fig & Ashed goats cheese rolled in a Toasted fig leaf , Dipped in honey , Cinnamon sugar and Fig leaf ash.

                    Another from the team at 'moto' and makes a perfect pre dessert dish experimenting with fruit and cheese with the smokey, caramel notes of the toasted fig leaf. This dish is surprisingly yummy and upon first glimpse for one, looks like it shouldn't be eaten or two belong on the dining table. This is a great example of playing with food and like its name sake makes the perfect dish to be served as the smoke break in a long 8 or so course degustation menu. The goats cheese provides the perfect amount of tanginess to the plate where as the caramelised fig gives the sweet, smokey charred flavours.                
                    This was a very simple dish to make and I first cut some figs in half, sprinkling them with a little panela and placing them under the grill until soft and caramelised. I then removed the figs from the grill allowing to cool. I then harvested and washed some medium sized fig leaves. I laid one leaf out vein side up, smooth side down and placed a length of one cm. diameter rolled cheese along the length of one side of the leaf. Spooning the fig alongside I rolled the cheese and fig in the leaf to form a cigar shape, tying string around both ends to hold its shape, I placed the cigar under the grill and toasted the outside of the rolled leaf until dark brown in colour. The cigar was then removed from the heat and the strings cut away for serving purposes. To make the ash I toasted fig leaves and crumbled them with a little cinnamon sugar. To plate I dipped the end of the cigar in honey and the fig leaf ash and placed the cigar and ash into an ash-tray in the centre of the plate for presentation.