Do you eat figs with cheese?

The sweet flavour of figs pairs well with creamy mozzarella and bitter salad leaves like chicory, so why not get inventive with your own assemblage?

What do you do with overripe figs?

Cook overripe figs for a jammy flavor explosion Jams, sauces, and syrups are always a good way to use overripe fruit , though the options are endless. Whether you roast, simmer, or poach the fruits, figs are great for topping ice cream, layering into trifles, serving over cheesecake, or swirling into popsicles.

What kind of cheese goes best with figs?

Figs go with every type of Cheese – no matter if they are fresh, dried, in a jam or braised! It is very popular to serve figs with blue cheese but since I am not a big fan of blue cheese I chose Manchego instead.

What cheese pairs best with figs?

Burrata with figs is another winning pairing. Di Palo's in Little Italy makes their own in-house, or try the burrata from Narragansett Creamery available at Saxelby Cheesemongers. And blue cheese and figs is a classic for good reason.

Fresh figs are usually eaten raw. They taste best eaten straight off the tree, ideally still warm from the sun. The entire fig is edible, from the thin skin to the red or purplish flesh and the myriad tiny seeds, but they can be peeled if you wish .

Should ripe figs be refrigerated?

Since fresh figs are perishable, they need to be kept in the refrigerator, between 32ºF-36ºF . Like strawberries, which can get moldy if exposed to too much moisture, it's generally not recommended that you wash figs as soon as you bring them home from the market.

Why put baking soda on figs?

Alkalinity breaks down the structure of plant cell walls. I assume the purpose of this baking soda bath is to soften the structure of the fig . That's why yours softened so much. If you want to maintain the structure of the fig, try using an acidic bath, as acidity helps to maintain plant cell structure.

What do figs pair well with?

Figs can go sweet or savory. They love honey, or caramel, or cinnamon and sugar . They appreciate a little salt and/or pepper, and positively shine in the company of cultured dairy like sour cream, crème fraîche, yogurt, labneh, or quark—and all kinds of soft fresh or hard aged cheeses.

What do you eat fig with?

Aside from being eaten as a tasty snack, dried figs can be incorporated in stews and taste great with hearty meats such as duck and lamb . They can easily be incorporated into a salad, like this simple Fig & Goat Cheese Salad. They taste especially great with a balsamic vinaigrette.

What is the best way to eat figs?

The best way to enjoy figs is raw, with the skin and seeds intact . You can also remove the peels and scoop out the seeds, if you like, or cook figs by baking, broiling or grilling them. But, the quickest and easiest way to enjoy these gems is by removing the stem and taking a bite right out of the raw fig.

Do you put figs on a cheese board?

Don't forget the dried figs. Dried fruits like apricots or cranberries can add a chewy element for another texture on a cheese board. But, almost every cheese board worth its muster includes figs and this is where our California dried figs particularly shine.

Baked Figs With Balsamic and Feta Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Bake

by: Phyllis Grant

May1,2021

4 Ratings

Baked Figs With Balsamic and Feta Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Serves 1 to 2

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This recipe is a vehicle for smushed or overripe figs. It's great on grilled bread, on pasta, or tossed with some crispy greens for a salad. Make sure you talk to your cheesemonger or do some Googling to track down the creamiest feta possible, otherwise it will dry out too much in the oven. If all else fails, soaking the feta overnight in garlic oil moistens it up quite a bit. Alternatively, you can use creamy fresh goat cheese. I make balsamic reduction by boiling down inexpensive balsamic vinegar (usually, a 17-ounce bottle yields about 3/4 cup). Or go crazy and just bust out your fancy aged balsamic. You won't be sorry. —Phyllis Grant

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

¹/₂ cupcreamy feta (about 2 ounces)
¹/₂ cupextra-virgin olive oil (for soaking the feta)
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
12 very ripe figs (any kind you can find)
1 tablespoongarlic oil (scooped from feta oil)
2 teaspoonsaged balsamic or homemade balsamic reduction
¹/₈ teaspoonkosher salt
3 sprigsfresh thyme
10 mint or parsley leaves, more to taste

Directions

Crumble feta into a jar or bowl. Top with olive oil and garlic. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours, preferably overnight.
Heat oven to 400° F. Stem and halve figs. Scoop a tablespoon of olive oil out of the feta mixture and sprinkle it over the figs. Coat each fig with a bit of balsamic. Sprinkle with salt. Tuck in the chunks of feta. Toss on the thyme sprigs, and put them in the oven.
Check them after 15 minutes. The figs cook fast. Don't let them completely fall apart. When they're quite jammy and releasing their juices, remove from the oven and turn on your broiler. Broil for a minute or two until the figs and feta are just starting to brown. Remove from the oven. Cool for a few minutes. Pick out thyme sprigs and use your fingers to sprinkle the crispy leaves down over the figs. Discard sprigs. Garnish with mint or parsley leaves. Serve.

Tags:

Feta
Fig
Mint
Parsley
Thyme
Bake
Summer
Fall
Rosh Hashanah
Memorial Day
Appetizer
Hors D'Oeuvre

See what other Food52ers are saying.

HalfPint
Phyllis Grant
Lizzie J
Kathryn

Recipe by: Phyllis Grant

dashandbella.blogspot.com

Phyllis Grant is an IACP finalist for Personal Essays/Memoir Writing and a three-timeSaveurFood Blog Awards finalist for her blog,Dash and Bella. Her essays and recipes have been published in a dozen anthologies and cookbooks includingBest Food Writing 2015and2016. Her work has been featured both in print and online for various outlets, includingOprah,The New York Times, Food52,Saveur,The Huffington Post,Time Magazine,The San Francisco Chronicle,Tasting TableandSalon. Her memoir with recipes, Everything Is Out of Control, is coming out April 2020 from Farrar Straus & Giroux. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and two children.

Popular on Food52

8 Reviews

Lizzie J. May 1, 2021

We made this as an appetizer for a small dinner party. We used medjool dates instead of figs - not trying to be contrary, we just already had them! we used French feta (per recommendation from the cheese guy at the grocery store). we made balsamic reduction, but did not use it - it was cloyingly sweet :-( so we used normal aged balsamic instead. we forgot the herbs - oops! served it with pita points. it was FANTASTIC !! it was a big hit with everyone. and did I mention it was super easy?? SUCH a keeper. Thank you, Phyllis!!

HalfPint June 4, 2018

How long does this keep once cooked? Would love to pre-roast the figs, save for a later date, then toss in feta, and bake to warm through and serve. It sounds wonderful and my figs are looking very nice and plump this year.

Phyllis G. June 4, 2018

You can absolutely pre-roast and then save the figs for a later date. As you noted above, just add the feta at the end right before serving. The figs start to fall apart a bit more when reheated but that's not a problem.

Kathryn December 24, 2015

You can freeze fresh, dried, and stewed figs next season to use all year. Make preserves or jams, too. My one young tree provided figs for all of the above. You don't have to wait a year then!
Your cookies are very good I'm sure, but it was your witty anecdotes that were so pleasing to me.

Linda September 28, 2014

I will search down figs tomorrow. I do not care the price, this is a beautiful recipe in my opinion, I adore figs to the point that I will make myself sick eating so many in one sitting, I have everything else in or near the kitchen. And, since it is apple time, why not do this with apples? And, since it is wild mushroom time very, very soon, why not a riff with wild mushrooms? If I could trade you apples for this recipe I would, believe me. Our trees are loaded and the ravens are perching on every tree limb, calling to one another, mocking me and my pail.

Phyllis G. November 6, 2014

Linda,
Love all of the ways you can riff on this recipe. Thanks for the inspiration!

Robert F. September 28, 2014

I don't know if the recipe is any good, but the story about the apples and the kid is wonderful.

Phyllis G. November 6, 2014

Thank you, Robert. The story warms my heart. Glad you like it. The recipe is pretty good too. Though I will now have to wait another year to make it again.