Figs are one of my favourite fruit and the season is sadly so short… Therefore I cannot resist buying them when I happen to find them on a London fruit stall. I found these in Bayswater as I was coming out of my exam room last week and bought a huge bag of it. The smell was all I needed to feel on holiday again…
This recipe was inspired by a dish my friend Sandrine made for us once at her beautiful place Le Domaine des Clos in Provence. Sandrine is married to a childhood friend of mine and I love spending time with them in the summer because they love what they do and they do it well and their friendship is one of the things that I always can count on when I head back to my birth town. I had kept a fragrant memory of this meal and especially of the plump figs, stewed in thick juice and creamy goat cheese that were served as a starter.
Fruit stall in one of Berlin’s markets
Ingredients list:
- 10 to 12 figs, unpeeled and washed
- 200g of fresh goat cheese
- 150 of cream cheese
- Handful of chopped basil
- Cracked pepper
Wash and cut the tail end of the figs.
Slice them and arrange in an oven proof dish.
Mix the goat cheese and cream cheese together – This is only for the local version as English goat cheese tend to be dryer ; whereas elsewhere you might use a fresh creamy goat cheese on its own.
Drop dollops of the cheese amongst the fruit. Add pepper and basil leaves.
Bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes until the fruit are cooked and the juice has thickened. It is usually even better reheated the next day!
Serve as a starter with some Muscat de Rivesaltes or Sauternes. I adored this with a bottle of Macia Batle Dolce from Mallorca – a sweet white with remarquable balance and powerful aromas of white flowers and almond.
Figs and cheese
TAMK
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