Figs have been used for centuries as a sweetener in cooking, and fresh figs are a real delicacy – although there are a few things to look out for when buying them.

First and most importantly – use your nose. A fig that smells sour means it’s already beginning to decompose and ferment.

Figs should be clean, dry and smooth skinned. A ripe fig should be soft to the touch, but not mushy. It is important to choose ripe fruit, as unripened figs do not continue to ripen once picked.

Fresh figs are best stored in a plastic bag in the coldest part of the fridge, and used within two days. They can also be frozen – whole, sliced or peeled – in a sealed container for up to a year.

By comparison, dried figs undergo quite a process – being soaked in salted water, pressed and dried again before they are packed and shipped to our shores.

This week’s recipe is a favourite dessert at Thornton’s at this time of year. We serve it with lavender ice cream, though if you don’t want to go the whole hog and make the ice cream, a good quality vanilla ice cream is just as good.

Individual fig tart with lavender sauce (serves 4) Ingredients

8 fresh figs (thinly sliced)
50g frangipani (see below)
100g puff pastry
Lavender and almond sauce (see below)
Lavender ice cream (see below)

Lavender sauce
20g ground almonds
20g dried lavender
100g caster sugar
100ml water
Zest of one lemon

1. Place all ingredients in a stainless-steel pot and heat to just before boiling. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Frangipani
50g soft unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
1 large egg
Grated zest of 1 orange

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl, add the caster sugar, butter, ground almonds, orange zest and mix with a hand blender.
2. Beat the egg and add it to the mixture and mix again.
3. Place mixture into a piping bag.

Lavender ice cream
10 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod (deseeded)
500ml cream
500ml milk
50g lavender flowers
125g icing sugar

1. Place the lavender flowers and vanilla seeds in a bowl with the milk and cream and leave overnight in the fridge.
2. Line the base of a stainless steel pot with a little water, and then add the milk and cream. Bring to the boil and remove from heat.
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, then add the sugar and whisk well. Pour half the milk and cream into the egg and sugar and whisk.
4. Pour the mixture back into the stainless-steel pot containing the rest of the milk and cream. Heat to just before boiling point, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and place in a basin of cold water to cool it quickly.
5. Spin the cool mixture in an ice cream maker if you have one. Otherwise, place in a stainless-steel bowl and freeze – removing from the freezer at intervals to stir.

To assemble
1. Cut the pastry in four rectangular shapes and place on a baking tray. Prick with a fork to ensure it doesn’t rise too much.
2. Pipe the frangipani mixture on top of each pastry and bake at 175 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and layer fig slices on top. Turn oven down to 150 degrees and return the tarts to bake for a further five minutes, then remove and brush lightly with lavender sauce.
4. Place the tart in the centre of a large plate, spoon sauce around the tart, top with a scoop of ice cream and finish by sprinkling ground almond and lavender flowers around the edges.

Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Thornton’s Restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.