Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

　　1 cup Sauternes or other dessert wine

　　1/2 cup apple juice

　　1 tablespoon honey, or to taste

　　1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

　　1/4 teaspoon vanilla

　　1/2 pound dried Calimyrna figs, stemmed, halves,and each half cut into 5 thin strips

　　mascarpone, crème fraîche or sour cream as an accompaniment

　　1 tablespoon julienne strips of lemon zest

　　In a saucepan bring the wine and the apple juice to a boil with the honey, the thyme, and the vanilla and simmer the mixture for 3 minutes. Add the figs and simmer the mixture, covered partially, for 5 minutes, or until the figs are very soft. Serve the figs warm with the syrup in stemmed glasses topped with the mascarpone and the zest.