Delicious Australia – (03)March 2019

LEF

TOVER

FIGS

FUTURE

PROOF

ONCETHE DOMAIN

of hippies and stoners,

cannabis is crossing over to

the mainstream in a global

‘Green Rush’ movement.

It’s a multi-billion-dollar

industry,andwhilerecreationaluseremains

illegal in Australia, elsewhere it’s been

giventhegreenlight–fromArgentinaand

Portugal to 10 states in the US and recently

Canada, which became the largest country

in the world to legalise the production and

saleofmarijuanainOctoberlastyear.

As modern weed businesses become

more (legally) prevalent, pot is reinventing

itself as a grown-up alternative to some of

our favourite pastimes, while changing the

food, drinks and wellness industries.

Beer giant Constellation, brewer of

Corona, invested upwards of $5.5 billion

in Canadian cannabis producer Canopy

Growthtodeveloparangeofcannabis-

infused drinks. Heineken-owned Lagunitas

issellingHi-FiHops,anIPA-inspireddrink

containing varying doses of THC, the

psychoactive ingredient in marijuana,

and CBD, which is also used in pain and

stressmanagement.

We’ll know cannabis has gone beyond

thebongwhenitbecomesavailablein

everything from cocktails and beer to soft

drinks,tea,coffeeandevenicecream.

In Portland, Oregon, food industry

branding strategist Mauria Betts is the

founderofoneofthefirstcannabiscreative

agencies. Her clients include Stem, a

dispensary that would be at home serving

espresso to hipsters in Melbourne, and

Cannavore, which proffers healthy cannabis

snacks.“Demandbecamesolargethat

I decided to start an agency specifically

workingwiththecannabisindustry,”says

Betts, describing a huge consumer shift

that may one day spark up Down Under.

delicious.com.au/food-files

For more tips on making the

most of ingredients.

AS A KID,my mother would

whip up this treat for me

whenever we had fresh figs

on hand. Over the years, it’s

come to be the first thing

I think of whenever I think of figs.

We’dcuttheminhalf,covertheinside

withhoneyandcooktheminafrypanuntil

slightly brown. We’d then sprinkle them with

saltandeatthemdippedinamixture

of ricotta cheese, cinnamon and honey.

Asweetfix,butalsoahealthysnack.

I’vetakenthosetoastedfigs,andmy

childhoodmemoryofthem,andputthem

into this cocktail that I once made for my

mum–shelovedit.

Place^1 / 4 cup (60ml) gin (I used whisky to

makeitforMum,becausesheenjoyedit

that way, but gin or brandy are equally

delicious), 1^1 / 2 tbs lemon juice, 2 tsp sugar

syrup,1eggwhiteandonehalfofa

honey-and-salt-toasted fig in a cocktail

shaker. Top with ice and shake, then strain

intoaglass,discardingice.Returnfig

mixturetoshakerandshakeagaintoreally

emulsify.Strainintoacleanglass,topup

with soda water and give your mum a call.

STORE AND SELECT

Selectfigsthatfeeltenderwithout

bruising or soft patches. Store chilled

on a plate or tray lined with paper

towel for up to 2 days.

GO WITH

Freshcheeses, mint, sweet wines,

chocolate, almonds, prosciutto, basil.

Search delicious.com.au for

‘figs with burrata and prosciutto’.

Forget homemade hash cookies,

saysShannon Harley,weed is

now available over the counter.

ILLUSTRATION

ALICE CLEARY

INSIDER.

@jrhemsworth @misspamplemousse

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