Fig vincotto
Fig vincotto is a concentrated fig syrup used to coat Puglian cartellate. Its dark sweetness comes from the fruit, cooked with water and reduced.
- Base
- Figs and water.
- Form
- Concentrated, filtered syrup.
- In pastry
- A coating for cartellate.
Warm gently for coating
Measure the syrup separately from the white wine used in the pastry dough. Warm it gently as directed in the cartellate recipe, then dip or coat the cooled fried pastries so the syrup reaches their folds. It is a finished condiment, not a red-wine reduction to make from a bottle of wine.
Figs for the Puglian pastry table
Vincotto di fichi belongs to the sweet preparations used with Puglian cartellate. The name can be misleading when shopping: this is a fig syrup, distinct from grape-must vincotto and from fig-flavored balsamic condiments. Dried figs can be rehydrated in water for this preparation. Cooking, reduction and filtering concentrate the fruit into a syrup. Read the ingredients rather than relying on the word vincotto alone.
Let the folds carry the syrup
Arrange the coated cartellate without crushing their pinched folds. The syrup collects in those small pockets and adds sweetness to the crisp pastry. Add the coating near serving when you want to preserve more of the pastry’s crispness.
Cook with it
Look for vincotto di fichi
Choose a product identified as vincotto di fichi and read the ingredient list. A figs-and-water preparation suits the coating. Grape must with fig flavoring or vinegar makes a different condiment; the English name fig vincotto does not guarantee the same formula.
Refrigerate after opening when directed
Follow the bottle’s storage instructions and date. Refrigerate after opening when the label requires it. Use clean utensils and close the bottle after measuring.
