Hi there!
How are you?! I’ve missed you!!! It’s been a long time…
Now that we’re hanging out a little more, I thought I’d share some appetizers that I’ve been working on! They’d be perfect to bring to any Fall gathering, a Thanksgiving get together, or a Halloween party. I’ll be rolling out a series of 3 different variations on Fall Fruit and Cheese. They’re easy to make, ooey gooey, and can be served warm or cool. They’re both sweet and savory, really satisfying, and beautiful to look at, to boot. And hey, we can finally enjoy them together! Fingers crossed!
It’s been forever. The last time I was here to write anything down, the world was a completely different place. A pandemic was something that might happen in the wayyy distant future and social and political unrest were things that happened “somewhere else”. Life was a little lighter the last time I was here. But we’ve muddled through and come out the other end… into some new alternate reality, I think?!!!
Anyway, it has been a crazy couple of years… I’m assuming it’s been crazy for you, too? But we did come together, better than ever, in things that brought us collective joy: food, crafting, baking, bread making… people really embraced their inner Martha Stewarts! I guess food became many a person’s best friend and greatest counselor in 2020. I know it was mine. I gained 22 lbs during shutdown. Let’s go! Some of us went the way of health and fitness, but I think that many of us cooked and ate our way out of anxiety, at least a few nights every week. Food has always been one of my greatest creative outlets and I REALLY embraced that in 2020. Covid’s shutdown sent me straight to the kitchen where I’ve been very busy for the last year and a half!
So…here is a delicious little starter I whipped up to enjoy with a few friends!
Fall fruits consist of things like grapes, apples, quince, all things squash and pumpkin, figs, pears, and plums (to name a handful). I decided to pick my 3 favorites for this series… so let’s get going!
First up on the menu IS…
Lavendar Peppered Figs w/Goat Cheese, Honey, and Fresh Oregano
Aren’t they pretty?!!!
Just looking at them makes me happy… like little pieces of art!
What You Will Need:
- Figs– I picked up these little guys at Albertson’s, but you could probably also find them at Whole Foods, Sprouts, or Trader Joe’s. You can also order them here, on Instacart. Albertson’s had both Heirloom Figs (that’s what you see in my pictures) and Black Mission Figs. I grabbed the Heirloom because they had a better variation of color for photos. In retrospect, I wish I would’ve grabbed both, because the next time I went back, all the Black Missions were gone :(. Most markets probably get small lots in, around late September. Grab ’em while you can!
- Goat Cheese– I always get my cheese at Sprouts or Albertson’s- around here, that’s what’s available to me. Whole Foods has an Ah-mazing cheese section. Even better would be a local cheese shop.
- Honey– Obviously, any honey will do, but I’ve been buying local honey lately, because supposedly, it does wonders for allergies. I’m not sure if it’s done much for mine, but it’s really yummy- runs anywhere from about 6-10 bucks. You can generally find local honey from your specific area, at your neighborhood grocery store. The Local Hive Honey brand, carries honeys from a lot of different regions around the States. You can find So Cal honey here on Instacart. If you just google your area, they may have it. If you can find a honey from a local bee keeper or farm in your area, that would be the best way to go.
- Fresh Oregano– Just a little leaf on top of each appetizer packs a nice punch of the fresh peppery camphor that oregano is known for.
- Lavender Pepper– The secret ingredient that makes this appetizer special! My sister sent me a lavender salt and pepper from a company called Lavender with Love, for my birthday this year. As far as I can tell, they don’t have a website, but I’m sure you could contact them on their FB page- It’s really good stuff! I looked for other options to show you guys, but nothing looked even close to as good as this one. It’s so pretty when you grind it- you can’t see it in the pictures, but there are tiny pieces of bright lavender in the pepper! Beautiful and so tasty.
First start by quartering your figs:
Putting it All Together
You’ll want to use a very sharp knife, because they’re soft and have tiny seeds. if you use a dull knife they’ll end up looking very messy. Also, if you’ve never worked with figs, they have tiny little seeds and you just leave them in there. They’re vey soft and you don’t even notice when you eat ’em. Figs are mild and neutral in flavor, that’s why you need the sweet & sour of the goat cheese. Add a few crumbles to each piece of fig, followed by a sweet drizzle of honey. Next, put a leaf of fresh oregano onto each fig, and finish with freshly ground lavender pepper. If you don’t have lavender pepper, regular old pepper will do. And Voila!!! You have a sweet and lovely appetizer to take to your next party!
Next time, I’d like to try the Black Mission Figs, because they’re supposed to be quite a bit sweeter. While I really liked the mild flavor of these heirloom figs, with the tart goat cheese, and sweet honey, I’d be curious to try a sweeter version. Black figs are also a gorgeous deep dark purple color inside.
Wine Pairings
This appetizer would be beautiful alongside a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. A few tasty & inexpensive options are here, here, and here. A couple more expensive choices can be found here and here. I personally, don’t usually buy expensive SBs because the inexpensive ones are so good… they’re simple wines and truthfully, the difference between the expensive and inexpensive, is just not vast enough for me to justify the price difference… buuuttt, if you do try that $75 option, please lmk how it is!!! Another quick note on SBs: New Zealand SB is known for its very light body, tart herbaceous, grassy, and citrusy notes, while California and Oregon Sauvignon Blancs may have a fuller more rounded-out body. They may also have hints of green apple and melon, but they lack the bite that NZ SBs are known for. They’re generally richer & heavier, which is the exact thing that I’m trying to get away from when I order a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. CA SBs often remind me of a Chardonnay made with a lighter, younger grape. In fact, if you love heavily-oaked Chardonnays and you’re trying to branch out a bit, a CA Sauvignon Blanc is probably a great place to start. Frog’s Leap has a good one, right here. However, if you’re looking for a really light & bright, sassy & young white wine, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are definitely the way to go! I think it’s an ideal wine for this appetizer, with the neutral flavor of the fig and the sharp, tangy bite of the goat cheese.
Another great option for this appetizer would be a Sparkling Rose. Here, you can find a dry, subtle, lovely & light Sparkling Rose for a fair price. It’s from France and just over 20 bucks a bottle.
And here is Nicolas Fueillatte’s Brut Rose, a middle-of-the-road option, at about $45 a bottle… one of my favorites!
A couple of things to note with Sparkling Roses: If you want really light & really dry, w/subtle fruit notes, French Brut Roses are the ones to look for. Again, California and Oregon have some great ones, but to me, they’re always on the slightly more fruity, even sweet side and less dry. Fuller bodied and a little richer. If you like that, this may be a better option for you. Words you want to look for when shopping a sparkling rose on the lighter side, are dry, subtle, & yeasty and make sure they say ‘Brut’ (‘raw’ or ‘dry’ in French) somewhere on the front or back label. Also, I would almost always go closer to the $20 and above price point, because inevitably, below that, they can start getting very sugary and cloying.
And there was your quick wine lesson for the day!!! Moving on…
You could definitely do these little fiiggys on a pizza, flatbread, focaccia, or a tartine, as well. Warming them up may also be an option, although I did love them cool. So pretty, so delicious!
Be sure to subscribe so you can see my next Fall Fruit & Cheese Appetizer #2! It involves black plums and sage, so stay tuned!
Bon Appetit!
and…
Happy Nesting.
Kirstie xo