Fig Week: Fig and Goat Cheese Salad

This fresh fig and goat cheese salad is a wonderful mix of textures and flavors.  The perfect early fall salad!

Fig and Goat Cheese Salad

The last installment of my Fig Week recipes ends with a simple salad that is a mixture of textures and flavors.  Fresh figs, creamy goat cheese, crunchy walnuts, sit on a bed of green leaf lettuce.  The combination can't be beat. You have sweet and savory flavors that all pack a punch.  Top it with a simple balsamic vinaigrette and you have a wonderful salad perfect for the transitional season to fall.  

It only takes minutes to throw together this salad but the payoff is immense in flavor.  It would be great for a light lunch or as a side dish to grilled steak or chicken.  We had this for lunch the other day with some crusty bread for lunch with a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc eating alfresco and enjoying the afternoon.  Such a wonderful meal.  Hurry to the store while the figs are in season (it's a short season) and grab some to make this excellent salad.

Enjoy! 

What Ingredients do I need?

• Green Leaf Lettuce 

• Fresh Figs - In season now.  Find them in stores or at a farmer's market

• Goat Cheese 

• Walnuts 

• Creamy Balsamic Dressing- I used Brianna's brand

Substitutions and Variations

• Cheese: Try a flavored goat cheese or switch to feta cheese 

• Greens: switch to red leaf lettuce or try arugula 

• Nuts:  Try pecans or pistachios 

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Make as much or as little as you need by adjusting the ingredients accordingly. 

• I love Brianna's Creamy Balsamic Dressing.  It has great flavor without all the bad stuff, plus its non-dairy, gluten and soy free.

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Fig and Goat Cheese Salad

1 head of green leaf lettuce, chopped
6-8 figs, stems cut off and quartered
1/3 cup walnuts
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Creamy Balsamic Dressing

In a large bowl or platter add the lettuce and top with the figs, walnuts, and goat cheese.  Drizzle with balsamic dressing and serve.

 

Fig Week: Fig Flatbread

Try this sweet and savory flatbread that has an unexpected topping of fresh figs, crumbled goat cheese, arugula, and a drizzle of heavenly balsamic glaze.  Not your ordinary thin-crust pizza!

Fig Flatbread

If you aren't lucky enough to have a fig tree in your yard (or a generous neighbor) make sure to go to the farmer's market and grab a few pounds of ripe figs and make this wonderful Fig Flatbread.  

Store-bought flatbread topped with sweet figs and crumbled goat cheese  make an extraordinary thin-crust pizza.  A drizzle of tangy balsamic glaze and a handful of peppery arugula give this a beautiful and flavorful finishing touch.  

This is one of the easiest pizzas to make and the taste is phenomenal!  I use some of the figs and bake them on the flatbread with some of the cheese and they turn out roasted and jammy.  Then I add the remaining fresh figs on top along with more goat cheese, arugula and get a fresh salad like pizza.  Soooo good!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• Flatbread - store bought is great - see kitchen tips and notes for my favorite choices

• Fresh figs

• Goat Cheese

• Arugula

• Balsamic Glaze - see kitchen tips and notes for my favorite choices

Substitutions and Variations

• Add spinach instead of arugula

• Buy store bought pizza dough and roll out really thin instead of purchasing flatbreads

• Try feta instead of goat cheese

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Flatbreads:  use store-bought naan or flatbread.  Stonefire and Brooklyn Bred are both great brands

• Balsamic glaze - this is balsamic vinegar that has been reduced which gives it a condescended flavor and thickness. Brands - Colavita, Trader Joes, Roland Foods Glaze of Modena

• Make individual flatbread for each person or make 1 or 2 large flatbreads

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Fig Flatbread

1 pkg store-bought Flatbread (individual size or large size)
6 figs, thinly sliced crosswise
8 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup (large handful) arugula
1/4 cup balsamic glaze


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take the store-bought flatbreads and place them on a baking sheet. Top the flatbread with 1/3 of the fig slices and the cheese. Bake about 10 minutes until the crust is slightly browned. Remove from the oven.

Top the flatbread with the remaining figs, arugula, and cheese. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Serve.

Fig Week: Fig Crostini

Sweet and succulent figs are sliced and are the crowning glory to toasted Crostini layered with honey ricotta.  Heaven on toast!

Fig Crostini

These teardrop shaped succulent fruit are coveted by many.  My fig tree is full of figs this year and we just harvested the first round of ripened fruit.  Figs aren't actually a fruit but are inverted flowers.  But technicalities aside these are some of the most popular fruit of the Mediterranean and most of the US production of figs are grown in California.

Figs have a unique taste.  Their flavor is deep and rich, and concentrated like honey.  They are sticky sweet with a jammy pulpy interior.  When eating figs you should slice off the woody stem but you can eat the thin skin and the flesh inside.  Once you have a nice ripe one you will be looking forward to fig season each year.  You will see them in stores now but, act quick as you can only get these little gems during a short window with the fall figs peaking in September.  

I'll be doing a week of fig recipes from my first batch and may throw in a couple of more in the weeks following as my remaining batches ripen.  Today's recipe isn't really a recipe at all but it is one of the best ways to enjoy fresh figs.  Toasted Crostini is topped with honey sweetened ricotta cheese and topped with slices of ripened figs, then drizzled with a little more honey on top.  The best breakfast, snack, or charcuterie items by far!  

Below I gave you the ingredients and the process.  I'll leave it up to you as to how many you make and the amount of each ingredient as this can be personalized.  Use as little or as much as you like of each ingredient.  I hope you go buy some and enjoy the treasure that is a fig.  It truly is a wonderful fruit.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• Fresh figs

• Ricotta cheese - either skim or full fat work

• Honey - use your favorite kind

• Bread - You can use an Italian Country loaf or a French Baguette to make the crostini

• Olive Oil - use extra virgin for the best flavor

• Mint - optional but definitely a plus as a bright topping

Substitutions and Variations

• Cheese:  try mascarpone or even cream cheese instead of the ricotta

• Drizzle:  try a balsamic glaze instead of the honey

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Toasting the bread:  The traditional way is to rub olive oil on both sides and toast the slices in the oven until crisp.  If you don't want to do that you can follow the same process with the olive oil but toast it in a skillet on the stove.  All else fails you can use a toaster.  They all work!

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Fig Crostini

Sliced Italian Country Bread or French Baguette

Olive Oil
Honey
Ricotta Cheese
Figs
Mint (optional garnish)

Toast slices of country bread or baguette in the oven by brushing both sides with olive oil and placing them on a sheet pan.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Take the ricotta cheese and place in a small bowl.  Add in a small amount of honey and whip the ricotta to incorporate the honey.

Slice the figs by cutting off the stems then quartering the figs.

To assemble the Crostini:  take the Crostini and spread a good portion of honey ricotta cheese over the top.  Layer on the slices of fig, add leaves of mint as garnish if you choose, and drizzle some honey over the top.

Grilled London Broil with Grilled Nectarine, Corn, Tomato, and Burrata Salad

Two killer summer grilled dishes to enjoy featuring marinated grilled London Broil and a fresh salad filled with summer produce and burrata cheese!

Grilled London Broil with Grilled Nectarine, Corn, Tomato, and Burrata Salad

Here's another quick 30 minutes "summer" meal!  London Broil is on the menu today and we will be marinating and grilling this large cut of meat.  (see below for more on London Broil)  I've got a fantastic marinade that enhances the beefy flavor but is also great on chicken and pork.  It's a quick marinade that you can do on the counter while you are getting salad ready.  

The other fabulous part of the meal is the salad.  Sometimes the most delicious salads are the easiest to assemble.  By grilling nectarines and corn you bring out their natural sweetness.  Add in some wedges of tomato, chopped green leaf lettuce, and tear up a couple of balls of burrata cheese to make this heavenly salad.  Top it with an easy balsamic vinaigrette and you have one heck of a salad.  I mean the flavors...I am obsessed with this salad!

Enjoy!

What is London Broil?

London Broil is typically a large cut of beef that is very lean and often tougher than other cuts of steak.  To combat this you need to keep the cooked temperature on the rare to medium side and slice the cooked meat across the grain in to long strips.  This will cut the connective tissues and make the meat tender to the bite.  It has a wonderful meaty flavor and since it is a large cut of beef (between 1 - 2 pounds) it will feed several people.

What Ingredients do I need?

London Broil and marinade:

• London Broil

• olive oil

• balsamic vinegar

• soy sauce

• Worcestershire sauce

• garlic cloves

• red pepper flakes

• Italian seasoning

Salad:

• nectarines

• tomatoes

• green leaf lettuce

• corn on the cob

• burrata cheese

• olive oil - extra virgin is best for a dressing

• honey

• Dijon mustard

• garlic cloves

Substitutions and Variations

• Cuts of Protein:  use this marinade on different cuts of meat such as chicken or pork.

• Can't find London Broil?  try a flank steak or a Top Sirloin

• Stone Fruit:  substitute the nectarines for peaches or plums

• Greens:  change up the greens for romaine or red leaf lettuce

• Cheese:  swap out chunks of balls or mozzarella for the burrata cheese

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• London Broil: most stores carry a type of meat they call London Broil.  This may be some sort of top round.  If unavailable use a flank steak instead.

• Cutting the Steak:  check the steak to see which way the grain is running then cut across it slicing in thin strips on an angle.  Example if the grain is running horizontally along the length of the steak you need to slice vertically in thin slices across that horizontal grain.

• Use fruit that is moderately ripe:  fruit should be slightly firm so that it holds up on the grill.  The grill will caramelize the sugars in the fruit and make is break down.  If  you are using really ripe fruit it may become mushy when grilling.

• Cut the nectarines in quarters:  You want larger slices so that the fruit doesn't fall through the grates and even if using a grill pan smaller slices tend to fall apart easier.

• Side Dishes:  I served this with some basmati rice, but roasted potatoes or even fries would be a great side dish.

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London Broil (and Marinade)

serves 4

2 pound top round for London Broil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

In a zip lock bag add the ingredients for the marinade.  Add the steak in the bag and seal, pressing out any excess air.  Massage the marinade into the steak by flipping the steak over in the bag.  Allow to sit on the counter 30 minutes while it comes to room temperature.  

Remove the steak from the marinade and grill (outdoors on indoor on a grill pan) over medium-high heat about 6-8 minutes per side for a 1 1/2" thick steak for medium doneness. (around 145 degrees).  Remove from the grill and all to rest covered in foil for 6-7 minutes.  

Slice the steak thinly against the grain.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Nectarine, Corn, Tomato, and Burrata Salad

serves 4

1 head Green leaf lettuce, chopped
2 ears of corn, shucked
2-3 nectarines, pitted and quartered
2-3 Roma tomatoes, cored, and quartered

1-2 balls of burrata cheese

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake well.  Set aside.

Brush olive oil on the cuts sides of the fruit.  On an outdoor pan or indoor grill pan over medium high heat grill the nectarine slices and the ears of corn until they are browned with grill marks.  The nectarines will start to caramelize.  Remove from the grill.  Cut the kernels off the ears of corn.

Arrange salad on a platter placing the lettuce as the base.  Top with grilled nectarines, sliced tomatoes, and grilled corn.  Rip apart a couple of balls of burrata cheese on top and spread around the salad.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Apricot Walnut Muffins

These muffins are a delicious combination of sweet tangy apricots and crunchy walnuts.  Great for breakfast or a make ahead snack to eat when you are on the go.  All done in 30 minutes!

Apricot Walnut Muffins

I love fruit additions to my muffins.  Today we are going to explore the area of dried fruit and use chopped dried apricots as the main star.  Add in a little crunch with some walnuts and this combo can't be beat for a late summer muffin.  I use all purpose flour in these but the addition of some whole wheat flour would be a great way to bring in some more nutty flavor and texture to the muffins.

All you need is 1 bowl to make these quick and easy muffins.  This recipe makes a small batch of 6 muffins, just enough to a breakfast or to snack on, but you can double it for a full serving of 12 muffins.  These muffins are so easy to make and are considered part of the "quick bread" baking category.  You'll have this done and baked in about 30 minutes.

Celebrate your late summer mornings with a fresh baked muffin.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• eggs

• milk

• canola oil

• vanilla extract

• all purpose flour

• sugar or sugar substitute

• baking powder

• salt

• dried apricots

• walnuts

Substitutions and Variations

• Use white whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose flour, or use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour

• Make mini muffins or small loaves instead

• Doing a Keto diet or want lower carb? Use an alternative sugar of you choice as a substitute. I like King Arthur's sugar alternative.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• 1st rule of thumb when making muffins is "do not overmix" the batter.  You want it batter to just come together.  Little spots of flour is okay.

• To get high muffin tops turn your oven up to 400 degrees.

• Make sure you are using fresh baking powder.  To test put 1/2 teaspoon into 1/4 cup of boiling water.  If it bubbles, you are good.

• Double the recipe for 12 muffins.

• Muffins can be frozen individually and kept for 3 months.

• Fill the muffin tin almost to the top for nice big domed muffins.

More Muffins Recipes

Bakery Style Strawberry Banana Chunk Muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Double Berry Muffins

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Honey Nectarine Muffins

Orange Poppyseed Muffins

Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins

Simple Blueberry Muffins

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Apricot Walnut Muffins

Makes 6

1 egg
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 6 well muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside (or use cupcake liners). 

In a large bowl add the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix together using a whisk.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.   Stir just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Add in the chopped apricots and walnuts to the batter and fold in gently.  

Using a cookie scoop, add batter to a muffin tin to make 6 muffins.  Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the tin. Remove from the pan and serve.