Saturday 1 September 2012

Fresh figs with prosciutto and blue cheese


I actually had decided to start blogging both in Dutch and in English and immediately after that I realized that I didn't have time to blog at all trying to combine work while study for a law degree.
Yet I can not resist a short blog post about a great simple appetizer now the fig season has started.
It's not really a recipe to call and that's why it's so easy to make.
I got enthusiastic by fresh figs from the garden and the beautiful figs that I found on the market.


This combined with spicy blue cheese, good quality prosciutto, balsamic vinegar from Modena and delicious sourdough bread from a new bakery in Tilburg was a pretty awesome appetizer!



Although you don't really need a recipe for this to try at home this is how I made it (thanks to my colleague Paul who is the perfect reader in the category 'is the recipe obvious to make for people who read the blog' :))

Click here for the Dutch version of this recipe.

Figs from the oven with prosciutto and blue cheese
based on an idea from www.kokenmetkarin.nl 

For 2 people as a starter:
  • 3 ripe figs (you can eat the skin of fresh figs!)
  • 2 big slices of sourdough bread or other bread toasted or plain
  • some blue cheese (or substitute by mozzarella or goat cheese if you prefer)
  • raw ham (prosciutto)
  • good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil
  • fresh thyme (optional)
For the ones with the bread  I spooned out one ripe fig and divided the inside on two slices of bread.
Than sprinkled some good quality balsamic vinegar and tasty olive oil on it. After that I topped one piece with blue cheese and the other with raw ham. (we liked the one with the blue cheese better).

And for the third part of the starter I cut the fig almost, but not totally, in 4 parts. Divided the raw ham and blue cheese on it and put it on a plate in the oven at 200 degrees Celcius  for 10 minutes so the cheese could melt. After that I garnished it with some fresh thyme en served all three of them together as seen on the picture.