Nothing says late September better than fresh, sweet figs! Here they pair with simple ingredients to produce stellar hors d'oeuvres.
Fig and Cheese Crostini
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes. Yield: 16 servings.
Ingredients
1 large loaf of seeded Italian bread
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1 15 oz container of ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half a lemon (about 1 tbsp)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 lb prosciutto di Parma (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb fresh black or green figs
Garnish
3 tbsp of honey
Evoo for drizzling
Directions
1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Slice Italian bread into 1/4" slices on the diagonal and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toast for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
2. While the bread toasts, prepare the ricotta spread, by stirring together 15 oz ricotta, the remaining olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a bowl.
3. Remove the toast from the oven. Slice the garlic cloves in half and rub on hot toast slices.
4. While the toast cools, slice the figs into 1/8" rounds.
5. Spread the toast with about 1 tablespoon of cheese per slice. If using, top with a half slice of prosciutto, folded onto the cheese. Next top with 2 fig rounds per slice. Finally drizzle with honey and olive oil and serve.