I totally forgot to tell you two things.
One: I will be changing the name of the blog to FAYEFOOD. How cute is that? I love kitchensister, but lo and behold there are already a few kitchensisters, who aren’t looking to make one big happy kitchensister club. So, my name is Faye, and I’m sticking to it. I will give you a few days before I make the change. Change is no good without notice.
(1a: the book will called FAYEFOOD too. Now you won’t have to shop for loads of people. You can just go to lulu.com and order FAYEFOOD for the holidays. People love getting cookbooks. Even if they don’t use them, it makes them feel good. Plus the pictures are beautiful, the design is beautiful…my fabulous team made the book a little like having Faye right there in the kitchen with you. It will be the cookbook that talks over your shoulder the whole time you’re cooking.

Two: You can’t believe how many people visited the site a few days ago when I was talking about figs. Why is that? Are people across the country wanting to know what to do with fresh figs? All right then, here is the other thing I forgot to tell you. My favorite appetizer of all time is a fresh fig compote, with a duck liver pate, and a tiny salad of bitter greens on the side. Serve it with sliced and toasted slivers of French bread and an artisanal semi-soft goat cheese called mini chevrot.
You can buy the pate and the cheese. For the fresh fig compote, bring 2 cups of water to the boil with with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add 2 pounds of fresh figs that have been washed, stemmed and peeled (or you can leave them unpeeled.) Add one stick of cinnamon or three pieces of star anise. Let it simmer gently over medium heat until it thickens.

(note: for those in the family not partial to duck liver pate or fig compote, or bitter salad, may I suggest a BLT made with the last of the summer tomatoes, a little acceptable lettuce, and bacon (look for the stuff with no nitrites), served on the same French bread as the rest of the family is having, spread with homemade mayo!!!
(a few egg yolks in the food processor with a squeeze of lemon juice, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, and as it is whirrin around, olive oil drizzled in every so slowly until it thickens. Taste for salt.)