How to Cut Zig Zag Fruit

Tutorial by Lily Morello

The Fig, Prosciutto, and Pâté Toast combo is delicious any which way you choose to cut up your figs—slicing them in half so they are more bite-sized will do, really. But if you want to impress your friends on Instagram, try this little zig-zag cut for your figs, as I've done in these photos. That’s what got you to click into this recipe, right? It’s one of those food styling tricks that looks complicated but is actually so easy!

This technique works on whatever you might have in your kitchen or are able to find in season: citrus, kiwis, strawberries... it's really up to you!

Just be sure to have a good, sharp knife; it’s actually safer to work with a sharp knife than a dull one because you will be applying less pressure to pierce the blade partway into the fig (and most definitely not all the way through to your palm!)

Here is a tutorial for cutting zig-zag figs:

For this styling technique, you are going to be cutting a zig-zag line midway between the stem and the base of the fig. Hold your fig on its side to have a direct view of the surface you’ll be cutting into.

 

Carefully insert a sharp, small paring knife into the surface of the fig to begin cutting a V; the knife should go in halfway through the fig as you do this. Be careful not to cut all the way through!

 

After cutting the first V, continue the zig-zag pattern around the fig.

 

As you work your way around the fig, keep an eye on the first V that you made and make sure that the last cut connects back with the first cut.

 

Gently pull the top and bottom halves of the fig apart. Now you have two halves of fig that are ready to go on top of your delicious toast!

 

 

Add these to your charcuterie board or on top of your favorite toasts like I did here, balancing the  gentle honey sweetness of the figs with the delicately thin slices of salty dry-cured prosciutto and the tang from the port wine in the mousse pâté.