Candy Detox With National Fig Week

Admit it, you dipped your hand into the Halloween candy bowl more times last night than you're proud of. You enjoyed the immediate gratification that comes from processed sugary food-stuff, but if you're anything like me, now you crave a wholesome treat. Thankfully, National Fig Week is here to remind you that mother nature can satisfy that sweet tooth with this often overlooked fruit.Here are a few ideas for getting your fig on around L.A.:

Chef Jason Neroni at Osteria La Buca recently added a housemade rye rigatoni with braised duck leg, swiss chard, goat cheese, and of course, figs.

Public Kitchen and Bar will be serving a fig salad with black mission figs, duck prosciutto, whipped goat cheese, walnuts, and saba.

Are you starting to notice that figs are often paired with goat cheese? This Thursday, you can enjoy this classic combination in dessert form at blogger hangout Scoops Westside. Let owner Matt Kang brew you a delicious cup of Intelligentsia coffee as you enjoy the fig goat cheese ice cream.

FIG bars at FIG Santa Monica (Nick Wilson/LAist)
If you opt to try FIG in Santa Monica's take on the fig newton, you'll get the added bonus of checking out the giant fig tree which gives the restaurant its name.

Figs top "The Padre" pizza at The Luggage Room in Pasadena, with prosciutto, maytag blue cheese, and arugula serving to balance the fig's sweetness.

Drink your figs at Café Pinot with the Arbre Doux Cocktail featuring house-infused fig vodka, port, lemon, and topped with a champagne float

It should come as no surprise that Fig & Olive Melrose Place is the restaurant doing the most to celebrate the special week. They will be offering the following 3-course Fig Tasting Menu for $44 through Thursday:

First Course

• Seared scallop, artichoke tapenade, tomato, fresh lemon thyme, cooked in a black mission fig leaf
• Homemade ravioli with free range chicken, black mission figs, and roasted pumpkin seeds
• Salad of romaine hearts, mesclun, black mission figs, apple, manchego, dolce gorgonzola

Second Course:

• Free range chicken marinated in Moroccan spices, served with Figs, Olives, Apricots, Toasted Almond, and Couscous
• Seared veal tenderloin marinated with Herbs de Provence served with Celery Root Purée, Caramelized Endive, fig chutney
• Wild striped bass poached in olive oil, crusted with fig tapenade, served with garden vegetables

Dessert:

• Crème brulee cheesecake with figs
• Warm goat cheese with housemade lavender honey wrapped in a black mission fig leaf, served with fig chutney & black olive crackers

Want to celebrate figs for months to come? Consider making rosemary and port fig jam at home.

Figs have found there way on to many restaurant menus in recent years. Share your favorite fig dish in the comments!