Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
This sweet, tangy and crunchy appetizer is flavorful yet light enough to be a good starter for a big Thanksgiving feast. If you aren't able to find fresh figs, a couple of slices of dried ones will be just fine.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp shallot minced
- 2 3-inch fresh thyme springs plus ½ tsp minced
- ½ Turkish or ¼ California bay leaf
- 1½ tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ lb dried Black Mission figs finely chopped (¾ cups)
- ¾ cup Port
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 12 baguette slices ½-inch-thick diagonally cut
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 oz soft mild goat cheese at room temperature
- 2 fresh ripe figs cut into ½-inch slices
- garnish with fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
Savory fig jam
- Cook shallot, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf in butter in a 1 to 1½-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Add dried figs, Port, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Simmer, covered, until figs are soft, about 10 minutes. If there is still liquid in saucepan, remove lid and simmer, stirring, until most of liquid is evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes more. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs and transfer jam to a bowl. Cool, then stir in minced thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
Crostini
- Make the toast while jam cools:Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.Halve each baguette slice diagonally, then arrange on a baking sheet and brush tops lightly with oil. Bake until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack.
Assemble
- Spread each toast with 1 teaspoon fig jam and top with about 1½ teaspoons goat cheese and 2 pieces fresh fig.