Baked figs with goat cheese and candied prosciutto -- the perfect bite for weekend cocktail time.
Looking for a fun (and easy) snack to go along with this weekend's cocktails? Since it's fig season -- and since I LOVE cheese -- I whipped up a batch of baked figs with goat cheese and candied prosciutto.
And yes, the goat cheese is whipped ... because I apparently consume most of my cheese in that form these days.
Ingredients for baked figs with goat cheese:
- 15 figs, sliced part no more than ¾ way through in quarters
- 3 oz goat cheese
- ½ oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp cream (or milk)
- 3 pieces of prosciutto
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare your figs by removing the stem and then slicing them into quarters, but without cutting clear through. You want them sliced enough so that you can fill with cheese. Once all the figs are cut, place onto a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on the cooling rack.
On the same baking sheet, place a piece of parchment paper or lightly grease the pan. Place the three pieces of prosciutto in a single layer. Mix together the maple syrup, brown sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Brush each piece of prosciutto with the syrup mixture. Place into the oven and bake until the prosciutto is crispy. (if you have leftover syrup, feel free to do another layer partway through the baking process.) Remove from the oven and immediately loosen it from the baking sheet ... otherwise, it will cool and be extremely hard to remove. Trust me.
While the prosciutto is baking, prepare the cheese mixture. Add the room temperature goat cheese, cream cheese and cream to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is combined and smooth. Transfer whipped cheese to a pastry bag.
Take each fig and fill the opening with goat cheese. Then top each fig with a few pieces of the broken up prosciutto.
I highly suggest serving these with wine or other alcoholic beverages. You know, since it's the weekend.
For a great summer cocktail, check out my Whiskey Cocktail with Orange Juice.