Page 180 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

Figgy Pops

MAKES 16

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. For instance, I have sat still, in what must have seemed a high
yogic trance, wondering at the invention of such miraculous
foodstuffs as bread. Who in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks decided it
would be a taste sensation to take a festering bacteria (yeast) and
mash it up with grain? And for that matter, who first husked, hulled,

and ground wild wheat? And don’t get me started on figs! They are
one of agriculture’s big finds. It’s perhaps the first plant to be actively
cultivated for human consumption. Three fossilized figs were found
in a Neolithic village, dating back to 9400–9200 BC, a prehistoric
Whitman’s Sampler in the making if ever there was one.

With a lovesick Fred Flintstone in mind, I bring you Figgy Pops, a
lightly sweet and tender crust encasing a filling of gorgeous, ancient
sweetness. Assemble a few Figgy Pops as an edible bouquet for
your sweetheart; I promise they work better than ye olde club to the
head and subsequent drag into your cave.