Wine And Figs

Now is the time of year when you see all those lovely fruits that have been soaking up loads of sunshine all summer long appear in the markets. Enjoying a visit to my favorite spot at the market, the fresh fruit and veggie section, I spotted those little jewels of a fruit that mother nature has provided us - Figs. Named for the mission fathers who planted the fruit as they traveled along the California coast, Mission Figs was my choice. These lovely little gems are power packed with vitamins and minerals. Figs are rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and loaded with fiber! All that and much more in that tiny fruit package that can be prepared for your pleasure so many different ways. We had our Mission Figs the other night for an appetizer and as I was visiting Amanda's site the next morning, and low and behold she posted a recipe on figs! I will let you travel over to her site for her scrumptious recipe, but here is our simple one. Oops, sorry that I have no photo of the actual dish, but we were so engrossed in eating this lovely appetizer that I forgot to photograph them. But the picture above shows them before our preparation began.

Mission Figs With Goat Cheese And Bacon

Mission figs sliced in half

Bacon - precook your bacon, drain, crumble into small pieces

Goat Cheese - crumble in small enough pieces to fit on top of figs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the figs skin side down on the baking sheet. Bake until warm. Do not over bake as they may get too soft.

Remove from oven. Place warm figs on a serving dish, place goat cheese on top and then sprinkle the bacon pieces on top of goat cheese. Serve immediately.

The sweetness of the figs combined with the smooth goat cheese and saltiness of the bacon is heavenly! What wine to serve? Well I would serve a chilled bottle of Riesling or a nice cool Chenin Blanc with this appetizer as the fruitiness of the wines will pair well with the sweetness of the figs and cheese.

Speaking of wines, I had this good old faithful Chardonnay the other night that I pick up many times during the hot summer months. Georges Duboeuf 2005 Chardonnay was my choice for sipping out on the deck before dinner. I say "good old faithful" because it is a wine that I have purchased for many years and have never been disappointed in its quality. It is not a big heavy complex Chardonnay that many California Chardonnays can be, it is a nice French full of fruit wine that is good all on its own. And, tasting lovely chilled very cold, a perfect wine for a nice HOT summer evening here in Key West. Price - on sale this week at the market for $4.99 a bottle. Now that is a great deal!

Cheers!