Barbeque French Style- pork ribs & roast with fig sauce

When house guests arrive at the 'Relais de Camont', this cook takes a break!

Rhoda, Caroline, Julie, Jim and the two Bob's arrived for a two week holiday in Southwest France and being the smart cookie that I am, I let them do the cooking!

However, not being a gambler at heart, I left a few hints around my French Kitchen:

1. a map to the giant Sunday farmer's market at Agen and



2. a big jar of my special figgy bbq sauce.

Remember that Big Fig tree? well this post is for Joanna who has got me curious about how to grow a thousand-year-old hedge... and for Ivonne hosting SHF #35 at http://www.creampuffsinvenice.ca/

Figgy French BBQ Sauce served over pork ribs and pork roast

• 2 lbs/1 kilo of fresh figs cut in pieces


• 1 cup strong vinegar (I use my homemade red wine vinegar)


• 2 cups sugar (white, brown, raw...)


• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped


• 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed


• 2 whole piment d'espelette or other chili peppers (depending on your fire power)


• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper


• salt to taste

Cook over a low heat, nice and slow until it starts to melt and burble. Cook as long as you can stand it- 1, 2, 3 hours adding more liquid as necessary to keep a thin paste/thick sauce consistancy. I actually am cooking a batch for the third day in a row... just to see how caramelized I can get the figs without burning them! I keep adding more vinegar and wine- why not?

Ok, that's the basics...now you can add herbs, spices, condiments and other vegetables (tomatoes are a natural) as you like your bbq sauce-- hot, sweet, spicy, mild, thick or thin. Each batch I make is different. That southern girl cooking in Paris, Meredith Breen, started this recipe a couple summers ago and it has become a French Kitchen speciality. Thanks MB!