Ok. This is my first attempt at blogging. I don't have the same journalistic background as my sister and fellow gumbo girl and I might not be as eloquent, but I'm hoping my love for food and recipes makes up for that. I spent this past weekend at the beach with five other gals and I really wanted to write about the wonderful goodies that I made, but I decided that would be too daring for my first blog. Since I have been asked by two separate friends within the last two hours for my Savory Fig Tart recipe, I decided I would start with that one.
The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The 150 Best American Recipes which is a collection of wonderful recipes that are amazingly simple. The tart recipe is by Heather Ramsdell from her book Whole Foods Holiday Entertaining Guide. I made it for the first time a couple of years ago for a Ladies' night out and everyone was fighting over the last piece. I've been making it as an appetizer ever since. Most of the items I didn't have on hand, but it is worth a special trip to the store. I hope you love it as much as my girlfriends do.
all-purpose flour for dusting
7 ounces frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup fig spread
4 ounces crumbly fresh goat cheese
4 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips
freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme leaves
serves 8
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set a rack in the middle level. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lightly dust the work surface and the pastry with flour. Roll the pastry out to a 7x15 inch rectangle. Brush the perimeter with water. Fold all four edges over, creating a 1/2-inch overlapping frame around the pastry. Transfer to the baking sheet.
Preheat the broiler. Fill the pastry with the fig spread. Crumble the goat cheese over the top and drape strips of prosciutto over the cheese. Broil for about four minutes or until the prosciutto starts to brown and the cheese melts. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Cut into 8 bars, sprinkle with black pepper and thyme leaves and serve warm.
Note from the Kitchen: Fig spread isn't the same thing as fig jam; it's quite a bit less sweet. You'll find it in gourmet stores and cheese shops. Here's a recipe to make your own.
