Food is art.
At least at its best it is.
Figs may be the quintessential food as art. Because of their sensual beauty they can be seen dotting the landscape of still life oil paintings throughout history. They’re vibrant, unique, and the colors alone are cause for drooling—rich black ruby (Black Mission) to amber (Calimyrna) to the brilliant green lovelies shown above (Kadota). Cut them open and their flesh—rusty pink to ominous blood red—oozes with sweetness.
An ancient fruit, figs are mentioned as far back in history as 2000 BC Babylonia. It’s only fitting they be paired with other ancient foods—honey, rosemary, goat cheese—and cooked with fire (aka the grill), the most ancient of cooking methods.
Do you want to hear my recommendation for enjoying these sweet, smooth, fig appetizers—caramelized on the grill, lightly scented with rosemary and garlic, dripping with honey? Place them lovingly on a favorite plate, with wine in hand and best friend, sibling or spouse in tow, find a lovely outdoor spot. Sip the wine. Savor the figs. Enjoy the company.
At the encouragement of Carol over at Simply Gluten Free I’ve decided to enter the photo below in her GF Photo Contest. Please go take a look at her site—she’s got many wondeful GF and allergy free recipes just waiting to be tried. …and wish me luck!
Honeyed Figs with Roasted Rosemary Goat Cheese
Roast the rosemary and garlic (recipe follows).
Meanwhile mix together and set aside:
½ cup goat chevre
1 sprig roasted rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 or 3 chunks roasted garlic, smashed & chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon honey (more or less to taste)
In a separate small bowl whisk together:
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cut 8 figs in half lengthwise. Drizzle with the honey lemon mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Gently place on a preheated grill—cut side down. After 2 minutes turn over. Grill another 2 minutes and remove to a decorative plate—cut side up. (Grilling is optional but nice because it warms up and slightly caramelizes the figs.)
Top each fig half with a dollop of the rosemary and garlic laced chevre. Drizzle with honey if you’d like them pretty and sweet. Garnish the plate with roasted or fresh rosemary. Serve immediately.
Roasted Rosemary and Garlic
Pick 2 or 3 fresh sprigs of rosemary.
Smash and coarse dice a large clove of garlic.
Cut a piece of heavy aluminum foil about 4 inches longer than the longest sprig of rosemary.
Line the foil with a piece of parchment the same size.
Place the rosemary on the parchment and dot with the garlic pieces.
Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Wrap the rosemary in the parchment folding under the open ends. Wrap the foil around the parchment package using the same method.
Place on the upper shelf of a preheated grill that’s set a medium heat. Close the lid and roast about 8-10 minutes turning the package over once halfway through. Grill temperatures vary so this timing may need to be adjusted up or down depending on your grill running cooler or hotter.
Remove from the grill, let cool a minute, and carefully open the {hot} package to see if the rosemary is lightly browned and crispy. If it isn’t close up the package and return to the grill for a few more minutes testing until it’s done.
Rosemary and garlic can be
- mixed in with goat chevre and served on crackers
- served over grilled steak
- sprinkled over roasted vegetables or a fresh garden salad
- used as a garnish and eaten as is