Baked Fig with Goat's Cheese and Honey
A simple, delicious recipe to celebrate the humble fig and next week's Fig Fair in Torre de Miguel Sesmero, Badajoz.
Figs were never really on my radar till I went to Spain. My ex-partner, who hailed from Soria, would buy bags of dried figs and eat them like candy. But I found them too dry, seedy, chewy and a little rich for my liking. Fresh figs however are another thing entirely. And this, my fruity friends in the northern hemisphere, is the best time of year to enjoy this purple gem and its amazing versatility.
Figs are the fruit of the ficus tree. Did you know they do not bloom or produce flowers, but are pollinated by female wasps that make their way into a small hole at the base of the fruit? (you can check out this hole next time you see a fig). The wasp lays its eggs in the seeds of the fruit and promptly dies from the effort.
However, fret not, the tree releases an enzyme that digests the wasp, so there is no crunchy insect waiting to surprise you as you bite into the fruit. Once the wasp eggs hatch and mature into adults, they mate, the males are dissolved in the enzymes and the females leave the fig, taking the pollen with them to the next fig tree.
If this isn’t enough to convince you of their deliciousness, knowing they are a great source of fibre, full of vitamins and minerals, and rich in antioxidants should do the trick. They are sweet, soft and great with savoury flavours such as cheese and cured meats, wonderful in pies, cakes and cookies, and can be enjoyed in cereals, added to yogurts, and eaten as a simple dessert.
Today’s recipe is to whet the appetite for the upcoming Feria del Higo (Fig Fair) which takes place in Torre de Miguel Sesmero, Badajoz, next week (20-21 October). The fair, begun in 2016, is an opportunity for the local producers to promote their figgy products in a series of activities, such as cooking demonstrations, talks and tapas, guided tours through the fig plantations, concerts, wine tastings, and artisanal markets. The locals out-do themselves in the variety of edible products on sale from jams, liqueurs, cakes, sweets, glacéed, and of course, figs freshly picked from the trees.
Figs are relatively cheap at the moment in my little corner of the world, so I thought I’d try a quick, easy recipe that I’m pretty sure I’ve either made before when I lived in Spain or tried in a restaurant as a tapa. Good quality soft goat’s cheese and honey are important elements for this dish and it can be eaten as an antipasto, tossed into a salad, as a toast topping, or as a side dish with a hefty steak. Or simply as a dessert, which is how I prefer to eat them.
Baked Figs with Goat’s Cheese and Honey
Ripe figs
Flavourful soft white goat’s cheese
Honey
Wash and dry the figs. Place on a greaseproof paper and cut a cross into the tops.
Place a slice or spoonful of goat’s cheese (depending on the consistency of the cheese).
Drizzle a tsp of honey over the cheese.
Bake in an oven at 200 degrees C (395 F) for 10 minutes.