fresh figs are my fave!

I loooooooove fresh figs.  I am late to the fig party and I blame fig newtons.  I  figured figs were gross because of the grody, gummy, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth newton which totally gives the fig a bad name.  Fresh figs taste like a cross between a strawberry and a peach, NOTHING like the fig newton.  Figs are one of the first fruits ever cultivated by humans and are known to be eaten by the Romans.  Good enough for the Romans, good enough for me!  Figs have a relatively short growing season (August – Septemberish), and most of our figs we buy in the US come from California.  So when you see figs in your grocery, grab them before they are going… going… gone!  Fresh figs are great in salads, smoothies, on pizzas with chèvre, and even as appetizers!

This recipe is inspired by one I found in Ina Garten’s cookbook, “How Easy is That?”.  The sweet figs and savory goat cheese are wrapped up in a crunchy, salty proscuitto blanket, then baked to perfection.  I couldn’t believe how delectably sweet these little figgies tasted!  Such a simple recipe, too.  Sometimes the simplest food is the best.  As a kid, if I was given a fig newton, it felt like a punishment.  Maybe if someone had wrapped the newton in proscuitto and baked it, I would have liked them better?!?

figalicious

Let’s do this!

Preheat your oven (or I use our toaster oven for this one) to 425.  For easiest cleanup, line your baking sheet with foil.

Take your halved fig and schmear 1/2 a teaspoon of goat cheese onto the seeded portion, then wrap with the halved slice of proscuitto.

schmear it, yo!

Paint each fig top with a light dotting of olive oil.  Crank a few turns of fresh cracked pepper over top of the figs.

everything’s better with proscuitto!

You can pretty much make any fruit or meat taste better when it’s wrapped in proscuitto, then baked.  Here is what the figs look like from the side:

gratuitous side-shot

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then broil for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully so they do not burn.  The proscuitto should become crispy and caramelized, the goat cheese will get oozy and pink from the fig’s juice.  Pop it in your mouth in one bite and thank me later.

crispy, warm, sweet, and tart. YUUUUUUUMMMMM

Fig Prosciutto Appetizer