What do you do with fresh figs?

Fresh figs are the most generous fruit of late summer and the least patient. In our experience they improve very little once they leave the tree, they bruise if you look at them sternly, and a ripe one wants eating today. The good news is that a ripe fig asks for almost nothing. The cooking question only really arises with the ones that are not quite there.

Choosing figs that are worth it

Ripeness is in the hand and the nose, not the colour, because varieties range from green to deep purple.

• Give. A ripe fig yields softly when you cradle it, like a ripe peach. Rock-hard means it will stay that way.
• Neck. The stem end often droops a little on a ripe fig, and the skin may show fine cracks.
• Smell. Sweet, honeyed, faintly jammy. No smell, little flavour.
• A bead at the base. A small drop of syrup at the eye is a good sign. A sour or fermented smell is not.

Buy them in a single layer, carry them on top of the shopping, and keep them cool. If they are perfect, eat them the same day; if they need a little help, keep them at room temperature and use them within a day or two.

1. Raw, with something salty

This is where a ripe fig is at its best. Tear or quarter it and put it beside contrast:

• A fresh, milky cheese: ricotta, burrata, a soft goat's cheese.
• A salty, aged one: pecorino, a sliver of Parmigiano, a blue.
• Bread with crunch, and olive oil with a peppery edge.
• A few walnuts or almonds, a little honey if the figs are shy.

There is no need to peel them; the skin is fine to eat. Trim the very top of the stem if it is tough.

2. Roasted or grilled

Slightly underripe figs improve with heat. Halve them, set them cut side up in a dish, add a little honey or a spoonful of sugar, a splash of something (orange juice, a sweet wine, balsamic) and a sprig of thyme or rosemary. Roast in a hot oven until the cut faces bubble and the juices turn syrupy at the edges of the dish. Serve warm with yoghurt, mascarpone or ice cream, or let them cool and put them on a cheese board.

On the barbecue, brush the cut faces with a little oil and grill them face down until marked and softened. Keep them at the cooler edge so they soften before they collapse.

3. On pizza and flatbreads

Figs and something salty is a classic pizza combination. Put the cheese on first, add the figs part-way through or after baking so they stay juicy rather than stewed, and finish with rocket, a thread of oil and black pepper. Gorgonzola, mozzarella or a mild goat's cheese all work. The same idea goes on toast, focaccia or a piadina (see what a piadina is).

4. In a salad

Figs make a salad feel like an occasion. Bitter leaves (radicchio, rocket, chicory) balance their sweetness. Add something creamy or salty, something crunchy (toasted nuts, croutons), and a sharp dressing: red wine vinegar or lemon with olive oil. Dress the leaves first and lay the figs on top so they do not get mashed into the bowl. If you want more on building a salad that holds its own, see salads that aren't sad.

5. When you have too many

A glut is an excuse to cook. Figs can be:

• Macerated with a little sugar and lemon until they release their juice, then spooned over yoghurt or cake.
• Baked into a tart or a crostata, sliced over frangipane or simply over a jammy base.
• Cooked down into a quick compote, with lemon zest and a little sugar, stirred until thick and glossy. Keep it in the fridge and use it within a few days, or freeze it.