Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Figs with Goat Cheese

Growing up, my mom always packed is fig newtons in our lunches. For a while I thought they were fancy adult food. But then I got bored with them and realized how uninteresting the flavors were. So for most of my life I just avoided figs. Not like they're that easy to find anyway. Now, as a working adult that can afford fresh produce, I have come to realize that fresh figs are actually pretty awesome, and I wish I had rediscovered them earlier. 


But what do you do with figs? Besides put them in a cake-y cookie. Well, they make a great appetizer. And this one is pretty true to the fig's Mediterranean roots. 

Ingredients

- 1 basket of figs
- goat cheese
- prosciutto
- honey
- fig balsamic vinegar (if you can find it)

1. Slice figs in half and arrange on an oven safe tray, cut side up. A non stick one is probably best. 

2. Place crumbled goat cheese on top of each cut half. Goat cheese can be hard to work with, so try to place to evenly as best you can.

3. Thinly slice the prosciutto and then cut into small strips no bigger than the figs. Layer on top of the goat cheese. Avoid using too much of the fat. 

4. Place top rack right below the heating element. Turn oven on to broil. Place tray on rack and broil 3-5 minutes until prosciutto gets crispy. 

5. Remove from oven and transfer to a plate. Drizzle with honey and fig balsamic vinegar. 


Some notes: my oven has high and low broiler settings, so I did 4 minutes on low and 1 minute on high. Also, fig balsamic is pretty unique. I actually found it in the tasting room of a Napa Valley winery. It was so amazing I had to buy it. I rarely use it because of the unique flavor but it went perfectly with the honey. 

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