Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs
Guest Blogger: Sara Reeves
I love to cook, although I do not love to follow a recipe. I love to bake bread, but I don’t have the patience to be very good at it. At our house, most recipes are made up as we go along. I like simple balanced flavors- spice with my sweet, crunch with my cream. Fresh or dried herbs from my little urban garden are always involved.
I have a love/hate relationship with all fruit. I want to like it, but I just never know. Is that cantaloupe going to be ripe and sweet? Will those raspberries be mushy and fermented tomorrow? More often than not, a small bit of whatever fruit makes it to my home gets eaten and the rest is thrown out 5 days later, neglected and bruised.
Last week I surprised myself and bought fresh figs from the market, not even sure if I would like them. They were beautiful and begging to be styled and photographed on a cheese tray. I can pretty much eat anything if it is thrown on a pretty wood platter and served with cheese and nuts. I sliced a few and paired them with mango habanero cheese and salty cashews. They were delicious, but there were a few left and they were so pretty that I had to do more.
The fig was one of the first foods cultivated by humans. The skin is smooth; the inside both chewy and crunchy. Combined with tangy goat cheese, roasted pecan, and fresh basil, a fig can elevate from just a common piece of fruit to a perfect bite. Served with crisp, pH balanced Mountain Valley Spring Water, this recipe is a delicious treat to spice up your holidays.
Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs Recipe
fresh ripe figs
goat cheese log
raw pecans
fresh basil
honey
course grind black pepper
course sea salt
Remove stems and make two slices through the top half of each fig, making an “X”. Stuff each fig with a spoonful of goat cheese. Top with a pecan half.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 mins, switch to broil for two or three mins or until pecans have browned.
Top the roasted figs with small pieces of basil, drizzle with honey, salt and pepper. Serve immediately with Mountain Valley Spring Water. Needless to say, there were no forgotten figs left behind this week.
