I absolutely adore Figs. I just love to slice them and pour over melted gorgonzola. Here are some variations on this theme:
Recipe for Roasted Fig Salad with Warm Walnut Gorgonzola Dressing
Richard Brosseau

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Ingredients:

* 16 dried Figs, each cut into 3 pieces
* 8 oz Gorgonzola Cheese
* 6 oz whole Walnuts
* 4 oz Olive Oil
* 2 oz Balsamic Vinegar
* 1 oz dry White Wine
* 6 bunches mixed baby greens (I would interpret this as about 6 cups)
* 1/2 head Radicchio
* 2 heads Belgian Endive
* 16 Flambouyant Leaves (if you live in a tropical area this is possible otherwise I'd say this is optional - salads are really loose)


Procedure:

1. Mix first 5 ingredients and spread in shallow baking pan.
2. Roast in 400 degree oven for 6 minutes.
3. Remove tray from oven and deglaze with wine.

The following is really only optional. I wouldn’t bother. (Gavin)

4. Clean and rinse lettuce in ice water. Drain and dry well.
5. Assemble lettuce on plates (four of them is the recommended number) and divide figs and dressing among them evenly.



Figs Stuffed with Gorgonzola

Serves 16 (or 2, if I’m around)

Here is a very elegant and delicious appetizer.

16 dried Mission figs (about 8 oz.)
1/2 cup port (or vin santo or vin cotto maybe? - Gavin)
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (2 oz.)
1/4 cup reduced-fat cream cheese, softened (2 oz.) (God no!!! use some Mascopone or a similar Italian cheese - Gavin)
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 oz. sliced prosciutto, trimmed of fat
Coarsely ground pepper, to taste

Snip the stem off each fig and make a crisscross cut two-thirds of the way down to partially open the fig. Trim the base of each fig so it will sit upright when finished. Place the figs, port, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook uncovered over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the figs are plumped and softened and most of the liquid is reduced, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set figs aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, combine Gorgonzola, cream cheese, and rosemary in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the figs are cooled. Cut prosciutto into _-inch-wide ribbons. Place a dollop of cheese mixture in the opening of each fig. Garnish each appetizer with a ribbon of prosciutto. Dust with a grinding of pepper.

Eating Well Magazine, Fall 2002

"If it isn't true, it's to the point"
Italian Proverb
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Gavin, both of these sound gorgeous, even before breakfast here!

I whipped up this salad last week. I wanted to make a fig and proscuitto salad but didn't have proscuitto, so (don't frown), I used bacon.

I mixed some balsamic vinegar (yes Alice, the cheap stuff ) - about 2 Tablespoons, with a little bit (1/2 t) of dijon mustard and some salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Meanwhile, I fried the bacon to a golden brown. I took a little bit of the pan drippings and whisked it into my "dressing" mixture along with some olive oil.

Into the bowl w/ dressing I tossed a bunch (and I don't mean one bunch I mean a lot) of arugula and tossed it. Then I drizzled a bit more pan drippings on the arugula, tossed again, then topped with crumbled bacon, figs (cut into 8 wedges each) and some shaved parmeggiano regiano. Chris gave it a big

Gavin and Kim, both those recipes sound fantastic! I'm a huge fig lover as well and can't wait to try them out myself. Big growling tummy says yum!

Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will be picking fresh figs off the trees once again, at our vacation rental in Montespertoli!

Liz - from the "WetCoast"

I love to saute figs and then drizzle them with truffle honey and serve with grilled duck breast.. have also done it with peaches!

Cooking in Florence
www.divinacucina.com

Ah, these sound wonderful.

My moroccan cousin stuffs a whole fish with figs, rice and almonds. Incredible.

Amy in MA
"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Are fresh figs still around in early September? Judy & Amy are making me hungry hungry. Do you ever combine them with ricotta, or is that not a good combo?

Carol
Our local alimentari sells figs stuffed with ricotta. I suspect just plain ricotta, no sign of anything else.

"If it isn't true, it's to the point"
Italian Proverb
Gavin's Travel Journals
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quote:

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Originally posted by Gavin Crawford:
Our local alimentari sells figs stuffed with ricotta.

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Hi Gavin,
Where is this alimentari? We are always on the lookout for good places.
We regularly use the Norton St Grocer and the deli in Leichhardt Market Place. However, for something special the best places for Italian supplies (and the places we take visitors) are in Haberfield.

John

An alimentari is a small, neighborhood grocery store.

Figs.... they were tops on my "food hunt" list when I arrived in Italy in late June last year. I found some fair ones at the Mercato Centrale in Florence, but didn't see any in Rome a few days earlier. I wonder if it was late... my Italian friend here at home said spring is fig time. Odd, because I remember figs on the trees in Greece in July, not yet ripe.

Anyway, figs are my favorite also. I eat them very seldom here at home, as they are nearly always shipped, small and not in very good condition. A pity, but a saving for my waistline (such as it is)!

Hi John,
I agree that Haberfield has the best, however the stuffed figs are at the Norton St Grocer. Bottom right hand corner of the cheese cabinet (just to the left of the ricotta).

I have a suspicion that I may have been wrong about no additives to the ricotta...could have some nutmeg!!!!!

"If it isn't true, it's to the point"
Italian Proverb
Gavin's Travel Journals
Gavin's Travel Photos

We seem to get figs end of July, early August here. Chris loves them. His grandparents used to have a fig tree in their backyard and eating the figs now reminds him of those days....wish I knew enough about how to grow a fig tree in our backyard

Truffle honey?!?

Rebecca

www.brigolante.com