Grilled Fresh Figs And Blue Cheese Recipes

GRILLED PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED FIGS WITH BLUE CHEESE AND PECANS

Steps:

• Place 12 skewers (4 inches each) in water to soak for at least 10 minutes. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Slice the figs through the center vertically without cutting all the way through. Carefully open each fig, and place a slice of cheese and a pecan piece inside each. Gently squeeze figs to enclose the cheese. Wrap figs horizontally with a strip of proscuitto and skewer to secure. Brush the figs with oil and place on the grill. Cook, just until grill marks begin to appear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and repeat with opposite side.
• Transfer to a serving platter, and lightly drizzle with honey. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED FIGS AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat grill. You will need medium to high heat for grilling. The key is to crisp the prosciutto quickly and leave the blue cheese just melted with the inner part of the fig cool in temperature.
• Cut the figs in half and place a piece of blue cheese on each fig half. Wrap the prosciutto around each fig half, covering the cheese. The ends of the prosciutto should overlap.
• Grill each piece until the prosciutto begins to color and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm.

FLATBREAD WITH FRESH FIGS, MONTEREY JACK, BLUE CHEESE AND RED WINE REDUCED VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: Combine the wine, fennel seeds, peppercorns and thyme in a wide shallow saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup. Strain the mixture into a blender and discard the solids.
• Add the vinegar and salt to taste and blend to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified; add the honey to taste.
• For the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups flour and the salt, stirring until smooth. Stir in an additional 2 cups flour. Continue adding the flour (up to 1/2 cup), 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until the dough comes away from the bowl but is still sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with lightly floured hands. Start by slapping the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself (use a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape the dough from the surface). Repeat until it's easier to handle, about 10 times. Finish kneading normally until the dough is smooth, elastic and soft, but a little tacky, about 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume, 3 hours. Press it with your finger to see if it's done; an indent should remain.
• Prepare the charcoal in a chimney starter (allowing the charcoal to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a thin layer of gray ash). Add to the grill and create a two-level fire by spreading the coals out over half the grill bottom, piling them up in a mound 3 briquettes high, leaving the other half with no coals.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, divide in half and shape each half into a ball. Brush with oil and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Stretch and shape each ball of dough into a 12 by 10-inch rectangle or round on a flat surface. Brush the tops of each with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let rest for 15 minutes. Place on the grill directly over the coals, oiled side down, and grill until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip over and grill for 1 minute longer.
• Place the flatbreads on a flat surface and divide the Monterey Jack cheese evenly over the top. Arrange the cut figs on top and the blue cheese around the figs. Return to the grill on the opposite side of the coals, for indirect heat, close the cover and cook until the cheese has melted and the figs are heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and drizzle with some of the red wine vinaigrette and garnish with parsley leaves. Cut and serve immediately.

TOMATO, FRESH FIG AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and salt. Whisk in oil.
• In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast pine nuts, shaking the pan occasionally, until light golden, about 2 minutes.
• Spread tomato slices on a large plate. Scatter fig quarters and pine nuts over tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and thyme, drizzle with dressing and finish with pepper.

GRILLED FIGS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Combine goat cheese, rosemary, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl, and stir.
• Make a small slit in bottom or side of each fig. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip with cheese mixture. Pipe cheese into each fig through slit. Fill figs with just enough cheese so they expand slightly.
• Tear or cut the prosciutto slices into long strips. Wrap a strip of prosciutto around each fig, and skewer 4 figs on each rosemary sprig. Brush figs with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Place figs on a moderately hot grill, rotating skewers until figs are very hot and cheese starts to ooze, about 6 minutes. Remove from grill; serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil and good bread.

FIG AND BLUE CHEESE SAVOURIES

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• 2. Place the flour, butter, blue cheese, and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor and process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.
• 3. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull it together. Then roll out to a 1/8-inch-thick circle with a floured rolling pin. Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch round cutter and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Reroll the scraps (no more than once) and cut more rounds.
• 4. Using the back of a rounded 1/2-teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indentation in the center of each dough round. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of the fig preserves into each indentation, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentation.
• 5. Bake the savouries until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.