Ripe fruity surplus Jam and get figgy with it

We have a fig tree. It's of modest proportion but it is producing trailer-loads of figs - all ripening at about the same time.
Every time we pick one, this magic fig tree seems to produce two more. We've eaten them fresh and dried, turned them into jams and thrown them on pizzas. We have tried them roasted and toasted, dried and fried. We've eaten them with cinnamon and sugar, with olive oil, even with tomato sauce (Frank's idea).
Oily raggers have told us of similar problems so let's give our frugal fig growers a helping hand. Send us your fig recipes so we can disseminate them through the oily raggers' grapevine.

Fig muffins: Make a basic muffin mix. To do that you will need 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 egg, cup milk, and just over cup of cooking oil. Sift all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Make a well in centre and add previously mixed egg, milk and oil. Stir quickly until dry ingredients are just moistened - the batter should be lumpy. Add 1 cup of chopped fresh figs. Place large teaspoonfuls in greased muffin or patty pans, sprinkle with raw sugar and bake at 200C for about 20 minutes or until golden. Makes about a dozen muffins.
Caramel figs: Make caramel by adding about to cup of water to every cup of caster sugar. Heat until caramel is golden. For every cup of water, split five figs into halves. Dip each half into the caramel and leave on a greased tray for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Fig burgers: Basically the oily rag burger: basic mince and buns with lots of free stuff added - sliced tomato from your garden, fresh lettuce, beetroot, avocado, fried onions, a home-grown fried egg, and slices of fresh fig!
Fig pizza topping: Cover a pizza base with pizza sauce, top with sliced figs, tomatoes and feta cheese. Sprinkle with black pepper and thyme, then bake.
Fig in filo: To make this treat you will need some fresh figs, some sheets of filo pastry, lemon juice, honey, chopped pistachio nuts and a topping of cream, yoghurt, or icecream. Here's what you do: cut the filo pasty into three squares per fig, each one big enough to wrap around the fig. Coat each piece with melted butter then layer each to form a star-like pattern. Cut the fig into quarters, but leaving about a quarter at the bottom. Open up the fig and squirt in some lemon juice, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of chopped pistachio nuts. Bring pastry corners together and twist top to close. Coat outside of each little package with melted butter. Place on a baking tray, cover with tin foil and bake for about 20 minutes at 180C. Serve with yoghurt, cream or icecream.
Roast fig: This is dead simple. Place fig halves, flesh-side-up in a flat oven dish. Place a teaspoon of honey into each cavity and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on top. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with cream.
Poached figs: Simmer whole figs in a mixture of white wine, honey, lemon juice and lemon peel for extra taste. Bring mixture to a slow boil, then add figs and remove when cooked, about 5 minutes. To serve, drizzle over some of the mixture and top with cream, yoghurt or icecream.
Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living Off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Readers can submit their oily rag tips on-line at www.oilyrag.co.nz.