Fig and Olive Tapenade

I've had many olive tapenades over the years, but what I especially like about this one is the addition of the figs. They add a wonderful sweetness that cuts through the saltiness from the olives. And the balsamic vinegar and rosemary round out the flavor nicely. But for me it wouldn't be complete without some tangy goat cheese. Then again, I think goat cheese makes almost everything better. But for the record, it's not good in coffee. Trust me.

FIG AND OLIVE TAPENADE

Yield: about 1 cup

4 oz. dried figs (mission or calimyrna), stemmed

1/2 cup kalamata olives

1/2 cup green olives, pimiento-stuffed

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1.      Mince figs and olives finely (or for a finer texture, pulse a few times in the food processor).

2.      Add rosemary, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and mix (or process). You may need to add a little more olive oil to get to the texture/consistency you want.

3.      Serve as a dip or spread with crostini or crackers and goat cheese.

from food52 (added by Kayb)

dried figs

figs and olives in the food processor

No way was I chopping these by hand when I could quickly
process them (plus I actually do prefer a finer texture).

pulsed

adding rosemary, balsamic vinegar and olive oil

fig and olive tapenade

served with goat cheese and petits toasts

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Fig and Blue Cheese Savouries

I wanted to love these unusual little...crackers, I guess I'll call them (cookies doesn't seem quite right). But I didn't. They just tasted kind of off to me. Like when milk is right on the edge and you can't decide whether it's still good or not (by the way, in that situation I advise erring on the side of caution and going with not). What surprised me about these was that while I expected to like them and didn't, my 7-year-old daughter loved them. She asked me to put them in her lunchbox the next day. The girl doesn't like blue cheese or figs and told me how gross it all looked the whole time I was making them, so I certainly didn't see that coming. I think she just likes to see that look of confusion on my face. Well played Maddie.

FIG AND BLUE CHEESE SAVOURIES

Makes about 3 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

freshly ground black pepper

approx. 3 tablespoons fig preserves

1.      Heat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.      Place the flour, butter, blue cheese and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.

3.      Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull the dough together. Roll out to 1/8-inch thick with a floured rolling pin. Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch cutter and transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

4.      Using the rounded back of a half-teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indention in the top of each dough round. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of fig preserves into each indention, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentions.

5.      Bake the savories for 10 - 14 minutes, until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom.

6.      Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. Can be made a day ahead (keep them in two layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container).

from food52.com (submitted by TheRunawaySpoon)

flour, butter, blue cheese & black pepper

blue cheese dough

dough disk

rolled dough

cutting into rounds

dough rounds

topped with fig jam

fig and blue cheese savouries

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Ham, Manchego and Fig Tartines

If you're like me and tend to go overboard when company comes over, you'll appreciate these hors d'oeuvres. If you slice the cheese ahead of time and your butter is soft, it's quick to assemble. Which really freed me up for the fifty other things I attempted to make. I say attempted because I still have raw ingredients in my fridge that never made it to the table. But that's okay, because as usual, I had enough food for a small army. Either I need to calm down or get more friends.

HAM, MANCHEGO AND FIG TARTINES

Makes 8 (snack) servings

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons fig preserves or jam

1 (24") baguette, quartered crosswise, then each quarter halved horizontally & lightly toasted

6 ounces thinly sliced serrano ham or prosciutto

1/4 pound Manchego, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler

extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.      Stir together butter and fig preserves.

2.      Spread mixture on baguette, then make open-face sandwiches with ham and cheese.

3.      Drizzle with oil and season with pepper.

from Gourmet, September 2008 by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez

fig jam and butter

I used Stonewall Kitchen Fig & Ginger Jam.
Here's a link if you want to make your own
homemade fig jam (also with ginger).

fig butter

topping the bread

I just sliced the baguette in about 1/2-inch slices and didn't
even toast it. I did spread the fig butter on the bread, but
don't have a photo of that. I used prosciutto and manchego,
but didn't sprinkle with oil and salt/pepper. What can I say?
I was staring at some hungry guests.

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Baked Goat Cheese with Caramelized Onion, Garlic & Mission Figs

This spread is full of flavors I love, so it's no surprise that I enjoyed it a lot. But I should warn you, it's ugly as hell (actually, these photos don't do its hideousness justice; it's way more objectionable in person). So if you're entertaining and trying to impress, you should probably go in another direction. But if you don't mind underwhelming the crowd, then go for it. Once they taste it, they'll appreciate its inner beauty (my mom used to tell me guys would appreciate mine, but so far no dude has ever complimented me on my stunning personality).

BAKED GOAT CHEESE WITH CARAMELIZED ONION,

GARLIC AND MISSION FIGS

Yield: 20 servings

2 (11-12 oz.) logs goat cheese

14 dried Mission figs (1 cup), finely chopped

1/4 cup dry sherry

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large Spanish onions, finely chopped

10 garlic cloves, crushed

3 rosemary sprigs

2 teaspoons salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette, sliced (for dipping)

3 ripe pears, sliced (for dipping)

1.      Preheat oven to 350º F.

2.      Crumble the goat cheese into an oven safe dish and set aside.

3.      In a sauce pot combine the figs and sherry with enough water to barely cover the figs. Place the sauce pot over high heat and bring up to a bubble, cover and remove from the heat and let the figs plump while the onions are cooking.

4.      Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

5.      Using a slotted spoon remove the plumped figs from the sauce pot, leaving behind any of the liquid. Add the figs to the cooked onions, stir to combine and then spoon over the goat cheese. Place the dish into the top half of the oven for 20 minutes, until the edges begin to bubble.

6.      Remove and serve immediately with sliced baguettes.

barely adapted from Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

crumbling the goat cheese into the baking dish

mission figs

adding sherry to the chopped figs

onion, garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper

I want to say golden, but the rosemary
turned the onion more of a light green.

I removed the rosemary so it wouldn't be too
overpowering. It still had a very strong (and wonderful)
rosemary flavor, so I recommend doing that.

adding the cooked figs

all mixed

putting the fig/onion mixture over the goat cheese

ready to bake

baked

nice, warm baked goat cheese with
caramelized onion, garlic and mission figs

served on a juicy pear slice

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Cranberry Sauce with Port and Dried Figs

I just had to squeeze this recipe in under the wire, on the off chance that you haven't settled on a cranberry sauce recipe for tomorrow yet. This is so scrumptious. It's sweet and tart of course, like all cranberry sauces, but oh so much more. It's rich from the port and balsamic vinegar and slightly peppery. And then there's the subtle rosemary undertones. Definitely the most complex cranberry sauce I've ever made (and yet still so simple, you've got to love that). But if you are going to make it for tomorrow, DO IT NOW! Run out and get the ingredients immediately so it has time to sit overnight in the fridge and let the flavors meld. And you should probably double it...you won't be sorry (unless of course you're reading this the day after Thanksgiving).

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH PORT AND DRIED FIGS

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

1 2/3 cups ruby Port

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

8 dried black Mission figs, stemmed, chopped

1 6-inch-long sprig fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 ounces fresh cranberries

3/4 cup sugar

1.      Combine the Port, vinegar, brown sugar, figs, rosemary and black pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Discard rosemary.

2.      Mix in cranberries and 3/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until liquid is slightly reduced and berries burst, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Cool.

3.      Transfer sauce to bowl; chill until cold. Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

Bon Appétit, November 2001

fresh cranberries

dried mission figs

dried mission figs, stemmed and chopped

port wine

port, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, figs, rosemary and black pepper

adding cranberries and sugar

almost done

I let mine go a little longer than intended, but that only breaks down
the cranberries a little more, it doesn't compromise the flavor at all.

Serving Suggestion: If you're planning on serving cheese and crackers as hors d'oeuvres, add a small bowl of this to your cheese plate and garnish the tray with some halved figs and rosemary sprigs. Mmmm.

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Fig Jam

In October, before I started this blog, I made a Fig and Walnut Tapenade with Goat Cheese for a party. I liked it so much I was sure I'd make it again soon, so I impulsively bought two more bags of dried figs, which have been staring me in the face ever since. And because I have no immediate party plans, I decided their time had come (and now they're jam).

FIG JAM

Yield: approx. 2 cups

2 cups dry red wine

1 3/4 cups water

6 oz. dried figs, stemmed and chopped

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons fresh ginger juice*, plus more to taste

1/2 cup honey

*peel and finely grate about 3"- 4" fresh ginger, then squeeze out the juice.

1.     Bring all ingredients to boil in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until honey dissolves.

2.     Boil until thickened and reduced to about 2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3.     Blend jam in a blender until smooth (or use an immersion blender right in the pot).  Add more lemon juice and ginger juice to taste.

4.     Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate.

chopped figs