Serve this dish at the end of a meal — it's a fruit and cheese course in one.

　　Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 25 min

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

　　1 tablespoon olive oil

　　1/4 cup pine nuts

　　3/4 cup Sambuca

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　12 firm-ripe fresh purple figs

　　3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta (preferably fresh)

　　

Step 1

Heat oil in a small skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and season with salt.

　　

Step 2

Simmer Sambuca with sugar in a saucepan (pan should be just large enough to hold figs upright), stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cut a very thin slice from bottom of each fig and stand figs in liquid in saucepan (figs will not be covered by liquid).

　　

Step 3

Poach figs at a bare simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Cool slightly in liquid.

　　

Step 4

Season ricotta with salt and pepper. Divide figs among 4 plates alongside mounds of ricotta and drizzle figs with some of poaching liquid, then sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.