Best 8 Balsamic And Fig Caramel Sauce Recipes

BALSAMIC FIG GLAZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray an 8x8'' baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
• Prepare Glaze: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds- 1 minute. Add in fig preserves, honey, balsamic vinegar and sprig of thyme. Increase heat to bring mixture to a boil and immediately reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by half, about 10-12 minutes. Use tongs to remove thyme sprig and discard.Optional for smoother glaze: Use an immersion blender (or transfer glaze to a stand blender) and puree until smooth.
• Meanwhile, season chicken: Place chicken on a clean work surface and pat the chicken dry. Season both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to the prepared baking dish (they should fit snugly). Spoon the reduced glaze over the chicken, using the back of a spoon to evenly coat and distribute the glaze. Add 4 remaining sprigs of thyme to the pan.
• Roast: Transfer the baking dish to the oven. Bake (basting the chicken with the glaze once during cooking), for 35-40 minutes or until the juices run clear and chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and let chicken rest 5 minutes. Optional: Switch oven to broil during last 3-4 minutes of baking for a more golden brown chicken. Watch the chicken carefully as it can burn easily!!
• Serve: Garnish chicken with fresh thyme, walnuts and cheese if using. Enjoy!

BALSAMIC FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer; cook, partially covered, until fruit has broken down, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly; remove thyme sprig. Press mixture through a large-holed sieve with a rubber spatula.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• For the duck breasts: Sprinkle each duck breast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the duck skin-side down and reduce the heat to low, cooking as the fat slowly renders and the skin becomes crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Once the skin is crispy and golden brown, flip and continue cooking until a thermometer reads 128 to 130 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast (for medium-rare doneness), 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or cutting board and allow to rest about 5 minutes. It will carryover cook to about 135 degrees F. Don't tent with foil in order to ensure the duck skin will stay crispy.
• For the fig sauce: Pour off all but 1 or 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet, reserving the excess for another use. Over medium heat, add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the sherry and reduce by half. Next, add the chicken broth, fig jam and balsamic vinegar, and continue simmering until the sauce has thickened and is syrupy, another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the butter. Garnish with chopped chives.
• Serve the sauce alongside thinly sliced duck breast.

BALSAMIC AND FIG CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Halve figs lengthwise, discarding stems. In a dry 3-quart heavy saucepan cook sugar over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork (to help sugar melt evenly), until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel, without stirring, gently swirling pan, until deep golden. Remove pan from heat and carefully pour water down side of pan (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Add figs, vinegar, butter, and mustard and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and figs are softened, about 6 minutes. Sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week. Reheat sauce before serving.

BALSAMIC-CARAMEL SAUCE OVER VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep the cream warm.
• In a large high-sided saucepan over medium-high heat, dissolve the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water. As the sugar mixture begins to bubble, watch for crystals developing on the inside of the pan just above the liquid. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush the inside of the pan right above the crystals so the water drips down and dissolves the crystals back into the liquid. When the sugar begins to brown, occasionally move the pan to swirl the liquid gently and cook it evenly. Continue to cook until the mixture is dark golden brown. The total cooking time will be 8 to 9 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Very carefully add the hot cream to the sugar mixture a few tablespoons at a time. The liquid will bubble up dramatically. Stir the sauce and cook for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt, mix well. Pour into a heatproof bowl. You should have about 1 1/4 cups of sauce. The sauce can be made several weeks ahead, covered with plastic, and stored either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, warm in a microwave oven before using.
• Serve on top of vanilla ice cream.

FIG AND ONION SPREAD

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; stir onion in the hot oil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover saucepan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and caramel-colored, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Stir figs into onion; cook and stir until figs begin to lose their shape and have softened into onion, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour balsamic vinegar into fig-onion mixture; cook until all the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, into fig-onion mixture until desired sweetness is reached. Serve warm or chilled.

BALSAMIC FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients with 1/2 cup water in a saucepan.
• Cover; bring to boil over high heat.
• Reduce to a simmer; cook, partially covered, until fruit has broken down, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly; remove thyme sprig.
• Press mixture through a large-holed sieve with a rubber spatula.

CHICKEN TENDERS WITH BALSAMIC-FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and lightly coat with flour, shaking off excess.
• Heat olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until tenders are golden brown, no longer pink in the centers, and juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Add shallot and garlic to the same skillet and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add red wine and balsamic and let simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in figs, thyme, Dijon mustard, honey, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low or medium-low and let simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
• Spoon sauce over warm chicken tenders, or add chicken back into the skillet to briefly reheat, and serve immediately.