Tag: figs

Summer Tartines

Well Dined | Summer Tartines

So for the past few weeks I have pretty much been living off of fresh summer produce and cheese piled onto whole grain seed bread.  It’s pretty much all I want to eat.  EVER.  The French call these open-faced sandwiches “tartines”.  I like that, it makes them sound fancy (when really they are super simple).

Well Dined | Fresh Tomato and Ricotta Tartine

The farmers’ market has been bursting with huge, gorgeous heirloom tomatoes.  This beautiful yellow, green, and red tomato made it onto pizza (which I will post about soon) AND some lovely tartines.  I wanted to eat some of this super sweet and juicy tomato raw so I toasted some bread and topped it with creamy homemade ricotta, basil from my garden, slices of tomato, high quality EVOO, high quality sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.  Super simple and sooooooo delicious.

Well Dined | Fig, Ricotta, and Honey Tartine

Next up I paired some fresh figs with more of that homemade ricotta, black pepper, and honey.  Whether for lunch, dessert, or a snack – this tartine is awesome.

Well Dined | Broiled Tomato and Mozzarella Tartines

Lastly, I wanted to experiment with warm tartines and broiled tomatoes, so I placed sliced mozzarella and tomatoes on seedy whole grain bread, drizzled them with olive oil, and broiled them.  Then I topped them with fresh basil, salt, and pepper – yum!  Definitely very satisfying.

What are some of your favorite tartine ideas?  Leave them in the comments!

More Figs!

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I’ve stated before how obsessed I am with figs.  I snatch them up whenever I see them at the store.  Jasper does not share my love of these little jewels, which means more for me!  Bwahahahaha!  …Okay I’m fine now, sorry about that.

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Mostly I like to eat my figs with cheese – this makes me ridiculously happy.  Coincidentally (or not), I also like to eat my cheese with fig jam.  Anyway, one of the most popular pairings for figs is blue cheese, so I wanted to play around with that a bit.

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I broiled the figs with blue cheese so that they were hot and melty, but I didn’t stop there…

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I topped them off with crispy prosciutto and honey.

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It’s okay if you drool a little, I understand.

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Going in a sweeter direction – I also made some balsamic glazed figs with mascarpone.

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Adapted from this recipe – I tossed the figs with a glaze made from balsamic vinegar, sugar, orange juice, and orange zest and broiled them.  Then I served them on top of mascarpone whipped with cream and sugar.

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The cream melting into the hot figs with the sweet and tangy glaze… yeah – this was pretty much heaven.

Roasted Figs with Fresh Ricotta

Continuing with the theme of fresh, homemade ricotta – I made these decadent and sophisticated figs roasted in a cinnamon honey butter and spooned over thick and creamy ricotta.

Whisk honey and cinnamon into melted butter and pour over cut figs (I used Black Mission).  Roast at high heat until soft and coated in syrup.

Spoon over a fresh ricotta.  The honey butter is sweet enough that you don’t have to add any sugar to the cheese, and some of the ricotta gets melty under the hot figs while the rest stays cold for a nice contrast.  So good, so so good.  Go make this.  Now. (more…)

Tasty, Tasty Figs

I am so obsessed with figs right now.  I buy a pint (or two) every week.  And while they are amazing on their own or simply drizzled with honey, I like to give them the fancy treatment from time to time.

Like with this gorgeous pasta dish with figs, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, spinach, and lemon zest.

Or done up in a super classic pairing with prosciutto and mozzarella.

I cut some Black Mission figs in half, sandwiched a piece of mozzarella between them, wrapped them in the prosciutto and skewered them.

Then I broiled them until the ham was nice and crispy and the cheese was melty and drizzled the whole thing with honey.  Ridiculously yummy – and the house smelled fantastic!

I am nowhere near done with my fig phase, still – more to come!

Fig and Walnut Pasta
adapted from Green Kitchen Stories
serves 2

whole wheat spaghetti, enough for 2 people
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 cup white wine
1 small lemon, juice and zest
1 big bunch of fresh spinach
4.5 oz goat cheese
3.5 oz walnut halves, toasted in a dry pan
salt
5 fresh ripe figs, cut into quarters

Boil the spaghetti to al dente, according to the instructions on the package, and set aside when done.

Add olive oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Add garlic and let it sweat for about 30 seconds before adding the wine and lemon juice. Stir around, add spinach and goat cheese while stirring (save a small piece of the goat cheese for later). Let it simmer for three minutes before adding the spaghetti and the roasted walnuts. Stir for 30 seconds, taste it and add salt if needed, make sure that the spaghetti is covered in the goat cheese/wine/lemon cream then turn off the heat.

Add the figs and gently fold them into the pasta. Serve on a big plate or in a bowl with the rest of the goat cheese and lemon peel sprinkled over it.