Healthy Desserts Recipes - Fresh Figs and Dates in Saffron Syrup

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (180ml) water

• 1 cup (250ml) dry white wine

• 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar

• 5cm piece orange rind

• pinch saffron threads

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 12 medium (720g) fresh figs, halved

• 8 (185g) fresh dates, seeded

crisp biscuits

• 30g soft butter

• 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar

• 1 egg white

• 2 1/2 tablespoons plain flour

• cooking oil spray

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Method:

1. Combine water, wine and sugar in medium pan, stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Add rind, saffron and cinnamon, bring to boil; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Strain syrup; discard rind, saffron threads and cinnamon.

2. Return syrup to same pan, add figs; boil, uncovered, about 3 minutes or until syrup is thickened slightly. Remove from heat, add dates, cover; cool. Serve with Crisp Biscuits.

3. To make Crisp Biscuits: Beat butter, sugar and egg white in small bowl with electric mixer, on low speed, until mixture is smooth and changed in color; stir in sifted flour. Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with 5mm plain tube.

4. Pipe 8cm lengths onto oven trays which have been coated with cooking oil spray; make biscuits slightly wider at both ends. Allow 6 biscuits per tray.

5. Tap tray on bench to make biscuits spread slightly. Bake in hot oven about 5 minutes or until edges are browned. Lift onto wire racks to cool.