F is for Fig and Honey filled Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (Jennifer)

Hello friends!

Happy Memorial Day weekend! And a special thanks to all of our troops at home and abroad who work so tirelessly to keep our country safe!

This week's recipe features figs! You know, like Fig Newtons? When I think of figs, I think of a really decadent fruit. Maybe because figs are just special that way. I usually only see them used in fancy recipes, alongside other fancy ingredients. I rarely see them in their whole and natural state at the grocery store (and this week was no exception--you'll see why after the jump!), and instead usually spot them being purveyed at farmers' markets alongside other fresh and organic ingredients.

If you've yet to try figs yet, now is a good time to start! According to this Whole Foods webpage, figs are really great for you--high in potassium and fiber with tons of other health benefits!

Did you know there are different varieties of figs? Who knew?? (Thanks Whole Foods for being so informative!)

Black Mission: blackish-purple skin and pink colored flesh
Kadota: green skin and purplish flesh
Calimyrna: greenish-yellow skin and amber flesh
Brown Turkey: purple skin and red flesh
Adriatic: the variety most often used to make fig bars, which has a light green skin and pink-tan flesh

Now, for the recipe....


Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Figs and Honey
from my Cooking Light Vegetarian Cookbook, but also found online here

To be honest, this recipe needs no recipe, but just the ingredient list, which you can add more or less of anything your little heart desires. But, to be fair, I'll give you the recipe which you can feel free to adapt however you like!

• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 (4-ounce) package goat cheese
• 8 (1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread
• 2 tablespoons fig preserves**
• 2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring until well blended. Spread 1 tablespoon goat cheese mixture on each of 4 bread slices; top each slice with 1 1/2 teaspoons preserves and 1/2 teaspoon basil. Top with remaining bread slices. Lightly coat outside of bread with cooking spray.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 sandwiches to pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until bread is lightly toasted (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Sprinkle with sugar.

Here's my version of the recipe:

Start out looking for fig preserves...when the last of three stores I've visited does not have them, I resort to real figs...when the produce guys looks at me and says "Figs? No, we don't have any of those, but we do have these..." and proceeds to walk me over to the bags of dried fruits lining the wall at the end of the produce section, I humbly take his bag of dried mission figs, feeling slightly defeated, but slightly relieved because it means that--after three grocery stores--I can go home. : ) Thanks, Produce Guy.

*Edited to add: two days later, I was at my local Fresh and Easy store and as I'm perusing the cheese section, drooling over brie and other yummies, what do I see sitting so demurely on the shelf....stinkin' fig preserves!! In the cheese section! Refrigerated! Argh...I should have just asked (that would have been store #1, too...ugh).

Anyways, take your goat cheese, drizzle or drench it in honey (depending on how sweet you like it), throw in your grated lemon (which really makes all the flavors pop), spread on your cinnamon raisin bread, and top with your chopped basil and figs. Now, you could stop here, or if you really want decadence, maybe add a few slices of prosciutto. If you don't have any, sliced honey ham works well too! Then, proceed with directions as above, grilling your sandwich to desired perfection.

  Btw, those are the dried figs next to the lemon! They look odd (a bit like some kind of animal dropping...ewww, did I just say that?!?), but taste delish!

 Review: You must try this recipe. Honestly, as soon as the sandwich came off the grill (yes, that's my version of a panini press. It works. Don't laugh.), I wanted to devour it. Like inhale it, really. It smelled heavenly, and the cheese was warm and the bread oh-so-toasty. If I didn't have to take pictures of it, it would have been gone in 30-seconds flat. : ) So, try it. You'll thank me later! I really felt almost guilty eating it for lunch, it was that good (I did eat it with a side of green apples, at least).

Happy eating!
Jennifer