Fig Fritters with Orange Sauce

• 24 fresh figs, ripe but not oozing juices
• Flour for dredging

Slice each fig from the root to the stem in inch-thick slices, but without cutting all the way through. Sprinkle with flour to coat well, shaking off any excess.

In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks, milk, and sugar. Stir in 1 cup of the flour. In a medium-size bowl, whip the egg whites and the salt until they can hold the weight of a raw egg in its shell without sinking m