Small Plate: Dinner Party-Friendly Figs

Ahoy, Fig Fanatics! Figs are best when uncooked. Pure, soft and eaten solo or paired with delicious fruits, cheeses, and vegetables. Check out this appetizer trio of fig pairings that bring out the brilliance in raw figs.

1. Fig 2. Heirloom Beets 2. Pecorino Romano Cheese 4. Arugula

Taste 3 easy fig appetizer recipes, perfect for pancakes, a side salad and dinner party hors d’ oeuvres, no cooking necessary.

Fig and Heirloom Beet Salad (picture above)
Figs, halved, lengthwise, and sliced into half moons
Heirloom beets
Arugula
Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Honey
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375.
Heirloom Beets
Add beets, skin on, to a baking dish. Pour water in the baking dish about 1/6 of the way up. Cover, lightly, with foil. Bake for 60 – 80 minutes, until the beets are slightly soft to the touch. Let the beets cool and remove the skin. Quarter the beets.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add balsamic vinegar to a bowl and  slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add salt, pepper and honey. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Plating
Forget the fancy plating, in the picture above, and toss heaping handful of arugula in balsamic vinaigrette. Top with beets, figs and shaved pecorino romano and dig in!

Fig and Mangoes
This no-cook fig recipe doesn’t get easier. Quarter figs.  Dice mangoes. Toss and enjoy. This simple fig recipe gives a refreshing balance to pancakes with syrup.

Figs Wrapped in Prosciutto with Walnut Goat Cheese
Figs, quartered
Prosciutto, sliced, lengthwise, into 1-inch-thick strips
Goat Cheese, crumbled
Walnuts, Toasted and crushed
Balsamic Reduction

Balsamic Reduction
In a small pot, add balsamic vinegar. Heat on medium-high heat and boil until it reduces by half.

Walnut Goat Cheese
Mix goat cheese with walnuts.

Lay figs on a baking tray. Drizzle balsamic reduction on top then top with goat cheese and walnut mixture. Wrap in prosciutto and enjoy.