A Girl and Some Figs

Figs are sexy. At least, that is what I've been led to believe. They are also rather hard to come by. Feeling rather deprived, I can say that I had never tasted a fresh fig. Until last week, that is. Thats when I came across a whole carton of fresh figs for a tidy sum. Sold! You may be thinking that for a fig rookie, thats a pretty big risk. But, I had armed myself for this occasion, and I was ready to dive into them.

I grew up with a tainted view of figs, etched by Fig Newtons. This was the cookie of choice available at my paternal grandmother's house when I visited. I can't say that I didn't eat them, but they didn't compare well to, lets say, Oreo's or Chips Ahoy. And that's not even judging them beside homemade chocolate chip! I mean, they were figs. That's barely different than prunes to a young mind. So, that image carried well into adulthood. Until one day, an Italian friend waxed eloquently about this favorite fruit, just as the fig harvest was in full swing. I was enchanted. It sounded way more interesting than the fig newtons I'd grown up with.

That's why I ended up buying a fig tree at a spring garden market a couple of years ago, and with it came high hopes for a fig-filled future. So I started collecting recipes. I wanted to be prepared when the harvest rolled in. Instead, after surviving one growing season, it curled up and died after a failed hibernation attempt. You see, since figs are rather tropical, so they cannot survive a typical Pennsylvania winter without major intervention. I'd heard the stories of Italian gardeners digging large trenches to bend over the tree and thus bury the branches, but I was assured that you could overwinter it successfully in a cold garage or barn just as well. No such luck for me though. So, the recipes remained untouched. Until now.......

With 24 figs staring me down, I had to make a decision quickly. The flatbread with fig spread, blue cheese and prosciutto was the hands down choice on this day. If truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of uncooked prosciutto, but I'm glad I pushed past that hesitation. Because baked on top of this flatbread, it takes on the character of tender, tasty, crispy bacon, and becomes the high note to the sweet, jammy, figgy bottom layer. And the blue cheese? Divine............

Flatbread with Fig Spread, Blue Cheese and Prosciutto

(adapted from http://www.latimes.com/la-fo-figrec24-2sep24,0,3754661.story)

1 pound fresh Black Mission figs (about 20)
1/2 cup port wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 slices prosciutto
6 (6-inch) flatbread - (can use Naan, or pita)
4 ounces (1 cup) mild blue cheese or goat cheese, crumbled

1. Remove the stems from the figs, then cut the figs into quarters. Place in a 9-by-12-inch glass baking dish. Combine the port wine, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, rosemary, shallots and salt. Pour over the figs and roast in a 375-degree for 30 minutes, stirring several times. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Cut the prosciutto horizontally into half-inch strips.

3. Place the fig mixture in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times to break up the figs. The mixture will resemble a thick marmalade.

4. Spread about one-fourth cup fig mixture on each flatbread to within half an inch of the edge. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the jam, evenly dividing it between the 6 pizzas, then drape the prosciutto slices on top.

5. Bake until the cheese has melted and the flatbread is crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.