It is fig season, and everyone seems to be excited about this. I have only had figs in Fig Newtons, but I really like Fig Newtons, so I thought I should buy some. I blame the atmosphere of Trader Joe’s, it makes me feel like anything is possible and everything is a good idea!
I went with the Black Figs, I had bought some Green Figs before and they went bad before I could do anything with them, I figured maybe I would have better luck with the black ones.
Apparently they are supposed to be a bit firm when you buy them, but not too firm. The stems should not give too easily. Once they are picked they do not ripen, they only rot, which is why they are uncommon in stores. Of course these were tightly packaged so I had to guess as to whether they were ripe or not.
Mine were ripe for the most part, although I think I was too worried about them being mushy and threw away a few that would have been nice and sweet. Live and learn! I had read up on a few ways to prepare them when I had the green ones. It seemed like all the recipes involved roasting. One suggested roasting with a little honey and having on top of Greek yogurt. Another involved goat cheese and bacon. Since it was dinner time and I did not have yogurt, but I did have cheese, I went with cheese.
I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and then sliced the figs so they would look like flowers.
Then I filled them with cheese, I did half with goat cheese, and half with brie. I probably should have pre-cooked the figs I filled with brie a little, since the brie has a higher fat content and would melt much faster, and get messy. But since I was using parchment paper to line the tray I was not that worried about melted cheese.
In about 15 minutes I smelled them, and they smelled delicious.
I probably could have drizzled some honey on them before or after the roasting, but it was not necessary. I had done something similar with dates and the dates were so sweet I was worried about adding too much sweetness to the figs.
They were delicious. I am a huge fan of brie and thought those would be my favorite, but I actually enjoyed the goat cheese ones more. I do wish I had added another savory element to them though, either turkey bacon or maybe an herb?
Either way I really enjoyed them, next time I do think I will only do goat cheese, and I will try adding some turkey bacon, either as a crumble or to wrap around them. And then a drizzle of honey? I may have to go back to Trader Joe’s.
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