Recipe: Fig and Black Olive Tapenade

To me, buying a pre-prepared dip or appetizer from a grocer never seems like a good idea. For one thing, the ingredient list usually reads like a terrifying chemistry lesson. And once snap open the flimsy lid, whatever lurks within rarely makes you want to serve it to your guests.

While shopping at a local market in San Francisco, however, I noticed small containers of Fig and Black Olive Tapenade from the Jimtown Store, a sunny country store located in the Sonoma countryside which is kind of an homage to the fantasy of what you'd like a country store to be but never is. Or was in the first place.

Always on the lookout for new flavor combinations (as well as being on sale!) and considering the excellent reputation of the Jimtown Store, I tentatively put the container in my shopping basket. At home, I smeared some of the Fig and Black Olive Tapenade on a crusty slice of levain bread.

It was yummy!

Several months later, I was introduced to Carrie Brown, owner of the Jimtown Store. Carrie is cute-as-a-button and generously wrote her best recipes in a book, The Jimtown Store Cookbook.

Here is her recipe for Fig and Black Olive Tapenade, which is perhaps the most terrific thing you can serve with cocktails, or spread on a sandwich. Salty black olives combined with sweet crunchy seedy black Mission figs, a whisper of garlic, all perfectly balanced with a squirt of lemon juice and a touch of coarse mustard. I prefer using a mortar and pestle for tapenade, since I like the chunky texture. So I've given Carrie's method for using a food processor as well as my own method as she rightfully assumes that most home cooks own food processors instead of my primative pounder. I recommend rinsing olives and capers for tapenade, which removes the briny-flavor and I only use very good quality olive oil. It's fine, fruity flavor is essential to this spread.

Fig and Black Olive Tapenade
About 1 cup

1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) stemmed & quartered, dried Black Mission figs

3/4 cups water

1 cup black olives; Nicoise, Lyon, or Greek, rinsed and pitted

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard

1 small garlic clove, peeled

1/2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

black pepper and salt, if necessary

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, simmer the figs in the water for about 30 minutes, until very tender. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the liquid.

2. If using a food processor, pulse the pitted olives, drained figs, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, capers, and fresh rosemary to create a thick paste. Pulse in the olive oil until you've achieved a chunky-smooth paste. Season with black pepper and salt, if necessary. (The spread can be thinned with a bit of the reserved fig poaching liquid.)

3. If using a mortar and pestle, mash the olives with the garlic, capers, and fresh rosemary. Pound in the drained figs (I like the way that sounds!). Once they are broken up, add the olive oil and season with black pepper, fig poaching liquid, and salt, if necessary.

Serve this tapenade with slices of baguette that have been lightly brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven, or smear a layer of it on a sandwich with goat cheese, juicy-ripe summer tomatoes, and lightly dressed arugola.

Carrie advises making this tapenade at least one day before you intend to serve it, which allows the flavors to meld and develop.