Visual taste

Figs with Raspberry Cream

Posted by Kwame Johnson on 19-08-2026

Food Recipes

Some summer desserts work best when they are kept simple. This one relies on ripe fruit, cold cream and delicate homemade biscuits rather than complicated techniques.

The combination is especially good in late summer, when figs are soft and sweet and raspberries bring enough sharpness to keep the dessert from feeling heavy. The cream is streaked with raspberry purée rather than fully mixed, creating a marbled effect, while the thin Italian biscuits add just enough crunch.

The biscuits are known as <i>lingue di gatto</i>, or “cat tongues”, because of their long, narrow shape. They are made with butter, sugar, egg whites and flour, and are much easier than they look.

Ingredients

For the fruit and cream:

4–6 ripe figs

250 g raspberries

250 ml whipping cream

1–2 tbsp icing sugar

A few redcurrants

A few fresh mint leaves

For the biscuits:

50 g soft butter

60 g icing sugar

3 egg whites, about 50 g

60 g plain flour, sifted

30 g flaked almonds

Make the Biscuit Batter

Start with the cat tongue biscuits so they have time to cool before serving.

Put the softened butter and icing sugar in a bowl.

Using a spatula, mix until smooth and creamy. There is no need to whip in lots of air; you simply want the butter and sugar to combine evenly.

Add the egg whites gradually, folding them into the butter mixture.

At first the mixture may look slightly separated, but continue stirring gently and it will come together.

Add the sifted flour and mix again until you have a smooth, soft batter.

Shape the Biscuits

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a smooth 10 mm nozzle.

If you do not have a piping bag, a strong zip-lock bag works well. Spoon the mixture inside, push it towards one corner and cut off a small piece of the tip only when you are ready to pipe.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Pipe slice of batter around 10 cm long, leaving approximately 4 cm between them because they will spread as they bake.

Place three or four almond flakes along the top of each slice.

Bake Until Golden

Heat the oven to 190°C, or 170°C fan.

Bake the biscuits for around 8 minutes, watching them closely towards the end.

They are ready when the edges are golden and the centres have taken on a light colour.

Leave them on the tray for a few minutes after baking. They will still be quite soft when hot but become crisp as they cool.

Carefully transfer them to a wire rack and leave until completely cold.

Prepare the Figs

Choose figs that feel ripe and tender without being overly soft.

You can peel them if you prefer, although ripe fig skin is completely edible and adds colour to the finished dessert.

Cut each fig into four wedges.

Place them in the refrigerator while you prepare the raspberry cream. Chilling the fruit makes the final dessert especially refreshing.

Make the Raspberry Purée

Set aside roughly half of the raspberries for serving.

Place the rest in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl.

Press them through using the back of a spoon until most of the fruit has passed through and only the seeds remain.

Discard the seeds.

You should now have a smooth, bright raspberry purée with enough acidity to balance the rich cream.

Whip the Cream

Pour the cold whipping cream into a large bowl.

Whisk until it holds firm peaks.

Add 1 tablespoon of icing sugar, taste, then add the second tablespoon only if you prefer a sweeter dessert.

The fruit and biscuits already contribute plenty of sweetness, so it is better to start cautiously.

Pour the raspberry purée over the whipped cream.

Fold it through only a few times.

Do not mix until the colour becomes uniform. The goal is to leave visible red streaks running through the white cream.

Assemble the Dessert

There are several ways to serve this. For individual portions, spoon raspberry cream into small bowls, glasses or dessert plates. Arrange a few fig wedges on top, followed by the reserved whole raspberries. Add several redcurrants for extra acidity and colour, then finish with a few mint leaves. Place one or two cat tongue biscuits directly into the cream, or serve them separately so everyone can help themselves. For a more relaxed presentation, arrange all the chilled figs on one large platter and serve the raspberry cream and biscuits alongside.

Make It Your Own

The recipe is easy to adapt depending on what fruit looks best. Peaches or nectarines work well in place of figs, while blackberries can replace some of the raspberries for a deeper flavour. The biscuits can also be made without almonds, although the toasted flakes add a lovely nutty finish. If you are serving the dessert later, keep all the elements separate until the last moment. The cream and fruit should stay chilled, while the biscuits are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container so they remain crisp.

A Simple Summer Finish

This dessert succeeds because every element does something different.

The figs are soft and honeyed, the raspberries are sharp, the cream is cool and rich, and the biscuits bring crispness without making the dish feel heavy.

It is the kind of dessert that looks thoughtful on the table but still feels relaxed — exactly right for a warm evening when ripe fruit should do most of the work.