Richard Olney’s Figs and Prosciutto with Melon
This early fall medley was made famous by the legendary Richard Olney, whose books brought the south of France to kitchens all over the globe. In his recipe, the prosciutto is julienned, scattered over figs, and drizzled with a crushed-mint cream. In this version, I add melon, and instead of thin strands of prosciutto, I drape whole slices around the fruit to create a layered antipasto. There’s no right or wrong type of fig for this dish; as long as they’re super-ripe, luscious, and oozing, they’ll work beautifully. If you have the luxury of choosing more than one variety of fig, such as Genoa, Adriatic, or Honey, this is a spectacular way to show them off. The same rules apply for the melon: just pick the sweetest, most perfumed one you can find.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Using a mortar and pestle, pound six mint leaves to a paste. If your mortar is large enough to accommodate the cream, stir it in, scraping the sides and bottom of the mortar with a rubber spatula to incorporate the cream fully. Or, if not, transfer the paste to a bowl. Add the lemon juice, and season with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch or two of pepper. Taste for balance and seasoning.
Step 2
Cut the melon in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice the melon into 1-inch-thick wedges. Remove the peel. Cut half the figs in half, and the other half into quarters. (I like to leave some of the stems attached.) Slice the remaining six mint leaves.
Step 3
Place six wedges of melon randomly on a large platter. Drape six slices of prosciutto over and around them, leaving some of the melon peeking through. Arrange half the figs and arugula over and around the melon and prosciutto, tucking some of them under the prosciutto. Arrange the remaining melon, prosciutto, figs, and arugula in the same way.
Step 4
Drizzle the mint cream over the prosciutto and fruit. Scatter the sliced mint on top, and grind a little black pepper over the dish.
