I’ve decided that I really need friends with fruit trees. The kind of friends that have so much delicious, ripe fruit bursting from their trees that to them, I am doing them a huge favor by taking some.
Lucky for me, I found a friend in the California Fig Advisory Board. They have lots of fig trees in their backyard (the whole state, really! Lucky ducks!) and were kind enough to send me some.
I take that back. They didn’t just send me some figs, they sent me a ton of figs. Two massive boxes, five flats worth, each a different variety. I’m not kidding here. I think Taylor’s eyes were bugging out of his head when he saw the sheer quantity of figs spread out on our counter. Some of the figs didn’t make the trip so well, but in my mind, squished figs make the best jam.
Yes, I said jam. More jam.
At this point I think I need to get rid of some shoes or something to make room for it all. We’ve got jam jars filling up every square inch of extra space in our cabinets, both in the living room and kitchen… and I have a feeling we’re going to need to make room in the bedroom pretty soon.
But jam isn’t all I’m doing with these special fruits. Aside from eating them whole, we’ve been doing our best to enjoy as much fresh figgy goodness as possible before these delicate fruits disappear. I’ve even frozen a batch of them to try to preserve them in their freshest state. We’ve been having fun comparing each different variety, the green ones slightly floral, the darker kinds sweeter and more robust.
Our favorite use so far has been this simple starter. Figs, goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and prosciutto. All wrapped up in a neat little package. This dish would make a fabulous (and impressive) appetizer, or, as we did, part of a larger tapas-style meal.
Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Wrapped Figs
Easily adaptable for any quantity. Plan on 3-4 figs per person for a starter.
Ingredients:
- Fresh figs, halved
- Goat cheese
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Proscuitto
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Arrange fig halves on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Top each half with a teaspoon or so of goat cheese. Press into fig. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 teaspoon per fig).
- Cut prosciutto lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips. Carefully wrap each fig in one strip.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until heated through. You may choose to bake them longer if you like for crisper prosciutto.
Did you make this recipe?
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Fig and Goat Cheese Clafouti
5 oz mild goat cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dipping figs
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons amber agave syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
½ t almond extract
1/2 cup flour
1 lb fresh figs, any variety
Preheat the oven to 350. Blend goat cheese and sugar till smooth, then add eggs one at a time. Whisk in the agave syrup and cream and almond extract. Blend flour inot mixture just until no lumps remain. Cut the figs in half and dip the cut side into sugar. Butter a shallow baking dish or cast-iron skillet and pour in the batter. Place figs, sugared side down, into the batter and bake 30-40 minutes until top is browned and a tester comes out clean. Cool to lukewarm before serving.
In case I need to leave the recipe to enter the contest…
Serve over jasmine rice to soak up the savory sauce. Grill baby bok choy and carrots for a quick side dish .
Ingredients
4 6oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger**
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 large garlic clove**
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion bottoms
1 pound ripe Kadota or Brown Turkey figs, cut into (1/4 inch thick) wedges**
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion tops
1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
** I used WAY more than 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 large garlic clove — I probably at least tripled that. But I also may have had a bit more chicken to cover. Also used black mission figs.
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each chicken breast half to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.
Combine ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and garlic in a small bowl; mash with a spoon to form a paste. Rub paste evenly over chicken; cover and chill 20 minutes. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add green onion bottoms to pan; sauté one minute, stirring frequently. Add figs; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and sesame oil. Remove from heat; spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with green onion tops and sesame seeds.
facebook’ed it, too. http://www.facebook.com/stephanie1225
In case I need to leave the recipe to enter the contest…
Serve over jasmine rice to soak up the savory sauce. Grill baby bok choy and carrots for a quick side dish . (Didn’t get that last part quite right before.)
Ingredients
4 6oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger**
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 large garlic clove**
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion bottoms
1 pound ripe Kadota or Brown Turkey figs, cut into (1/4 inch thick) wedges**
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion tops
1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
** I used WAY more than 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 large garlic clove — I probably at least tripled that. But I also may have had a bit more chicken to cover. Also used black mission figs.
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each chicken breast half to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.
Combine ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and garlic in a small bowl; mash with a spoon to form a paste. Rub paste evenly over chicken; cover and chill 20 minutes. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add green onion bottoms to pan; sauté one minute, stirring frequently. Add figs; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and sesame oil. Remove from heat; spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with green onion tops and sesame seeds.
I bought about 2 pounds of figs last summer to make my favorite fig recipe for some friends. It’s a figgy-ginger-garlic chicken with fresh fig pan sauce and I serve it with grilled bok choy and baby carrots and jasmine rice to soak up the sauce. Absolutely delicious – friends raved and ran home to make it themselves :)
I love figs just as they are! Natural with fruity goodness!
i made fig jam last year out of dried figs and red wine. it was delicious! would love to try to make more.
I first made this recipe while visiting my friend’s family in southern Italy. His mom picked the figs that morning and brought me into the kitchen to show me how to do this. She didn’t speak a word of English and I spoke a modest amount of Italian, but the common language of cooking was are true bond.
Torta Di Fici
50 grams of flour a
170 gr brown sugar
3 eggs
40 g butter
1 packet of yeast
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ounces of ripe figs
A glass of rum
Wash figs under running water and put them in a bowl and crush with a fork. Melt the butter and remove pan from heat immediately.
Butter the pan and combine remaining butter with the figs and add rum.
Break the eggs into the egg whites by. Add sugar to yolks and whisk to inflate. Add flour, little by little, then puree figs. Pour the baking powder and cinnamon, mix well and finally combine the egg whites
Pour the mixture into the cake pan ready and bake at 180 degrees for about 35 minutes (the toothpick test is always recommended).
To garnish you can put two figs cut in half (cut side up, 2 sticks of cinnamon arranged crossways. Warmed honey over all.
Fig syrup! Or I do love figs with cheese… and I made my first canned food last week and I’m ready for a new project. Bring on the figs!!
Fig tart fig tart fig tart with yogurt – yum!
Cut a fig, top to bottom, almost in half, to open like a book. Put a favorite blue cheese inside. Broil till cheese gets bubbly and light brown/golden. Take the figs out and pour some truffle honey over the figs. MMMMMMmmmmmm!!!
aaaaaaaaah how incredible!!! i want to have a fig party – fig jam, fig ice cream, fig with prosciutto, fig pancakes, fig compote on a pork chop, the ideas are endless!!! I would adorrrrrrrrre this. :)
Fig Tart..yummy!
friendsdriftinn 10:58am via HootSuite
RT @loveandoliveoil: For those who may have missed it… I’m giving away a boatload of figs: http://bit.ly/cm24xH Enter now to win!
Either a honey and fig tart or pizza with fig, goat cheese, arugula and maybe just a little pancetta.
I think I have the same recipe as Gina for a fantastic goat cheese and fig on puff pastry appetizer – I want it NOW!
I really want to make this appetizer with those figs!! Goat cheese and are two of my very favorite things!! YUM!proscuitto
Oh, I would make the fig jam, and lots of it. This could be used for all sorts of sweet and savory snacks – with ice cream, with as a topping for grilled meat, on toast……. the possibilities are endless!! Thanks for finding this!
I don’t have a favorite fig recipe,but I’m hoping to find one if I win the figs!
With the advent of the availability of figs locally in the Nashville area I decided to use the seasonality of figs to top my favorite crispy lamb ravioli. I caramelize the fresh figs and combine them with some crumbled pancetta and top it all with a dollop of local goat cheese and a drizzle of basalmic reduction. If I were to win this wonderful contest I most likely would use the abundance of figs to make fig butter and dried figs so I would have them available to use to make fig cakes and sauces for off season uses.
Facebook mention (which also goes back out on Twitter and Myspace)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pro-Portional-Designs/192670656116?ref=ts
Blog post:
http://omnomnomstudios.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-would-you-do-with-buttload-of-figs.html
Tweet about my retweet
Didn’t know how to link the RT but it was done!
http://twitter.com/omnomnomstudios/status/22533983982
Fig stuffed with foi gras mousse!
I am not a fan of figs, by any means, but stuffing them with goat cheese and wrapping them in prosciutto somehow sounds delicious. Why is it that cheese and pork always make things better?
I love to make a panini with the figs and brie! Or really any type of cheese that matches well! Thanks for the giveaway!
How about bourbon soaked figs in a skillet bread pudding made of french bread, heavy cream, and generous portion of nutmeg….with the top drizzled in a thick warm bourbon and fig infused dessert sauce? But then theres chutney, and jam, and this turkey and figs main course, and did I mention sorghum and fig bread? My enthusiasm and kitchen is on standby. Oh please FIG me!
Okay, so your recipe with figs, honey, and goat cheese looks amazing. Sadly, you can not get fresh figs here anywhere! I’ve searched and searched, apparently in the middle of Nebraska they are not an in demand item. So, I would love the opportunity to try one!
I love figs! After eating them sliced with any manor of soft cheese, another favorite way to enjoy them is in a vinaigrette. I macerate sliced figs in balsamic, which then can ebe used to make a sauce (reduced on the stove, for pork chops perhaps) or in a dressing, with good olive oil. Yum!
My son has an egg allergy and I was able to adapt a delicious fig cookie recipe that I found over the summer. Everyone loved them. I would love to be able to play with fresh figs! Thanks so much for the chance to win
I just tweeted about this: http://twitter.com/postcollegecook/status/22527240788
I would make a ton of my fig and port wine sauce to serve over poultry, then can it. I would also poach or candy some of them to serve over ice cream, etc. I also like fig jam. And grilled figs. And… really, the list is kind of never ending! :)
I have never had figs before! All the more reason that I want to win these and try all your amazing recipes with them.
My favorite fig recipe is cucidati cookies – they are Italian fig cookies popular at Christmas. You mix together figs, dates, raisins, walnuts and orange marmalade and fill little pockets of tender dough with it. They are SO GOOD!
I’ve been craving a fig/prosciutto/goat cheese flatbread. I would love to put figs on everything!
Oh, Man! I’m a fig fanatic! I’d definitely make fig jam… and fig cake… and fig cookies.
I too would make jam if I won this gorgeous bundle of figs. I love fig jam on toasted brioche with a little blue cheese and walnuts for crunch. We also love fresh figs on arugula as a starter salad. My fiance grew up on the Island of Crete and has been missing the beautiful fruit since leaving. I’d love to suprise him with this bounty.
Yum! I think I’d just start popping them in my mouth plain – but I’d try to save some for a figgy pizza too. Thanks for the giveaway!
Those green figs are so beautiful! Lately, I have been eating a breakfast of toast spread with mascarpone and store-bought fig jam, topped with banana slices. It’s so good that I wake up craving it, even though I’ve had it yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that… How wonderful it would be to make your own fig jams.
I love the idea of grilled figs with a banana mascarpone ice cream or profiteroles filled with fig ice cream, topped with a balsamic caramel. Oh and I’d love a duck breast with a fig and orange sauce/compote.
I don’t have a favorite fig recipe… i just love them dried. I will be making some jam soon; )
Tweeted http://twitter.com/the_vegster/status/22513965482
Figs with honey and goat cheese!
Or in warm oatmeal. My two favorite ways to enjoy figs!
Wow, figs are delicious and not exactly a crop we get in Boston. I would love to make fig bars, but 15 dozen figs means I will certainly be trying jam of some sort, which I’m sure would be delicious. :)
I too have never had a fresh fig, so I would definitely enjoy trying those all by themselves! And then try one of your jam recipes….. i was drooling reading those!
My favorite fig recipe is very simple but unbelievably yummy – brown turkey figs chopped and seasoned with good olive oil and smoked sea salt and served over spring mix and arugala.
My favorite fig recipe is very simple but inbelievably yummy – brown turkey figs chopped and seasoned with good olive oil and smoked sea salt and served over spring mix and arugala.
I’ve been craving fig jam and a salad with fig and goat cheese lately so that would be my first order of business. After that I’d go hog wild trying new recipes until they (sadly) ran out.
I have never eaten a fresh fig, now next time I am at the farmers market I will have to buy some. I saw a beautiful fig and goat cheese tart not to long ago that looked fab!
I’ve always just eaten figs fresh. Although fig jam does sound scrumptious.
My favorite fig recipe has got to be sliced fresh on millet toast that has been slathered with raw almond butter and drizzled with a little pure maple syrup. YUM.
Hmm, I’d probably make some sort of fig tart or cookie… or else try my hand at jam!