I love Nabisco Fig Newtons and fig jam. I make a pretty good fig reduction sauce (made with port wine and cinnamon) that pairs beautifully with pork. I have only worked with dried figs or fig jam that I’ve purchased. My life, as a Fig Newton Lover is forever changed. You see, I have never eaten a fresh fig… until now. Yes, I’m telling you the truth! I have no idea why I never thought to buy fresh figs before. They are much better than the dried varieties!
When I spotted this recipe on “Proud Italian Cook“, I knew that that I had to try this. So, off to Whole Foods I went.
I had no idea which figs to buy– the green ones or the dark ones? I decided to buy the Black Mission Figs. I’ll try the green ones, next. I had no idea there were so many varieties!
They’re even more interesting on the inside, I thought…all those seeds!
I gathered my three ingredients– fresh figs, brie and prosciutto. I made sure I chilled a bottle of wine. My husband would surely to be surprised when he got home from work, I hoped.
I found the the figs to be a little confounding on how to eat… do you peel them, or pop them in your mouth whole? I sliced one in half and bit into it. I found it…interesting… a slightly “musky” flavor with a slight crunch of seeds in every bite. The seeds didn’t bother me at all, to my relief. I’ve heard that people can eat these like candy, but I’m still not that sure that I feel that way. Still, I wanted to make this recipe– that’s the whole reason I surf food blogs, I rationalized. I’m trying to think “outside the box” in what I prepare for my family to eat. I’m willing to try almost anything– except liver, yellow curry or oysters. I just can’t bond with those!
I soaked some wooden skewers and I decided to cut them in half. I cut a piece of brie, and wrapped prosciutto around the cheese and fig.
In the meantime, Craig preheated the gas grill for a few minutes. You can use an indoor grill, too.
On the grill, it took about 2 minutes (we brushed olive oil on the griddle) for the brie to melt.
Wow! The sweetness of the figs, with the creamy brie and the saltiness of the prosciutto…
there are two things I would do differently, next time– if I had a balsamic reduction, I think that would take it one more level up– lightly drizzled. Last, I realized I could have easily cut skewers from our rosemary bushes! Duh! Next time!
Mmmmmmmmm… these disappeared fast. My son loved them as well! I’ll have to find more fresh figs before the season is over.
I also decided to roast the rest of the figs with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. I have an idea that I’m going to experiment with tomorrow. If it works, as I hope, you’ll see it on the blog. For now, I am keeping my idea under wraps– in case it doesn’t quite work out.
Yes, my husband was pleasantly surprised! More tapas recipes to share tomorrow…
If you can find fresh figs, I give this lovely recipe idea a high recommendation.
Thanks, Marie, “Proud Italian Cook”! I’ll have to try your fig & custard tart. That also looks so good! I bestow, upon you, my badge of recognition!
Cheers!
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Stacey Snacks says
Hey Friday night tapas lady,
I have one word for these appetizers:
FANTASTIC!!!!
Enjoy your weekend!
Your fig loving friend, Stacey
Finsmom says
This is pretty much the tastiest sounding appy I have ever heard of! INCREDIBLE! 🙂
Cheryl says
I have never eaten a raw fig, they sure look good. That appetizer sounds amazing, might be time I give them a try!
Donna-FFW says
These look marvelous..Such gorgeous figs. I love what you did with them.. perfection, lady!!
T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types says
Grilled figs with brie?? You must be in heaven!!!
Monica H says
I'm not a huge fan of figs- dried, fresh or newtons 🙂 But I've never tried them quite like this either. I LOVE brie and i love how they're oozing out of the prosciutto- mmmmmm!
I look forward to seeing your other tapas too!
Liver and yellow curry = eew!
Proud Italian Cook says
Can I come to your next tapas party? Stacey and I will pick up some figs and anything else you need. You're such a sweetie, thank you for your kind words, see my smile! :-)) I'm coming back to check for that crab melt!
Muneeba says
Figs are amazing little things aren't they?? I WUV them. I can pop the mini ones into my mouth like candy. But you transported them to cheesy, salty-sweet candy heaven! NICE! And thks for the best wishes for me neck … I've been putting the hubbs to good use because of it – massaging 😉
Bella says
I couldn't get enough Fig Newtons as a child. Brie and Prosciutto with figs sounds excellent to me!
Kevin says
Figs with melted cheese and prosciutto! These sound so good!
Judy says
OMG these were to die for. I had my first crop of fresh figs from the garden (which is pretty amazing for Canada)and stubbled upon this recipe. I can hardly wait for fig season next year. Thanks
admin says
Thanks, Judy! I'm glad you loved them. I sure wish I had a fig tree!