And welcome back, everyone! You're probably thinking to yourself "haven't they done figs a million times", and you would be semi-correct. Every time we've done meals with figs, we can never find fresh figs, so we've always substituted with dry. So as soon as Stew Leonard's advertised flats of fresh figs on sale, we immediately decided to go fig overload! Enjoy!
Cocktail - Fig Infused Bourbon Cocktail
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Muddle fig mixed with bourbon, lemon juice, some Grand Marnier, and club soda! Delicious! Although upon doing more research, I just found a Fig and Maple Syrup Manhattan recipe online that you better believe will be coming up on the blog soon!
Appetizer - Fresh Pair and Fig Mixed Green Salad w/ Lemon Vinaigrette
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We figured a light salad would be the perfect way to start the meal, because we could really showcase the fresh figs. If you remember, a few weeks ago, we did an appetizer that was a fig stuffed with goat cheese and pecans... this is kind of like that but deconstructed. Very delicious start to the meal.
Appetizer Wine - 2013 Chateau Haut Plaisance Bordeaux
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Ummm... errr... ok, not my favorite. First off, I was looking for a white that wasn't too sweet, because I wanted it to be a rather stark palate for the fig to really come through. Most reviews were saying to go for a Riesling or a Chardonnay, but I figured a white Bordeaux would be a nice change of pace. The only problem was that I found it to be too stark a palate. It was a clean white with a grassy start and mineral finish. Unfortunately, I didn't find there to be enough fruit in it to pair with the salad. Would have been a great wine for a different meal. Oh well.
Entree - Fig and Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
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A deliciously easy meal! Let me note a couple things. First - overstuff your chicken. We thought it was "too much", but then when eating, we found a lot of the filling dissipated and there actually wasn't enough. Also, the bacon takes a while to cook, and I'm thinking the chicken breast doesn't brown too easily because the bacon is too thick. I would try the pancetta next time. But overall - lovely dish. And a nice side of roasted potatoes and sauteed green beans! (If you have no fresh figs - I'm curious how a fig jam or chutney mixed with the cheese would work.)
Entree Wine - 2012 Laurel Cellars Pinot Noir
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Once again, reviews said to stick with Chardonnays or other rich whites to match the fig and the poultry. However, you know us - we like reds for our main course. This was out of this world! It had sweet red fruits that intertwined delicately with some spice and herbs. The tannins were light but nicely structured for a smooth finish. This was a lovely wine for any occasion.
Dessert - Fig and Raspberry Galette
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In hindsight, I should have taken a picture of the whole thing. Argh. Next time. The first thing Jennifer and I both said after eating this was "how come we haven't made more of these?" A galette is the same thing as a crostata. It's basically pie crust that is haphazardly formed with fruit in the center to create a rather rustic looking dessert. It was delicious! First off - save yourself the time and use store bought pie crust (unless you're a purist - then you rock). Also, we used only 8 figs and about 1/2 a pint of raspberries and it was more than enough. Oh, and that whole brown sugar thing - oops. We didn't have any (how is that possible, I know!) so used brown "sugar in the raw" and it worked out just lovely. Delicious! (Topped with a little Poire Williams infused whipped cream!)
Aperitif - LIV Island Raspberry Sorbetta
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If you're a fan of the Line Island Wine Trail, you'll know this bottle. When driving the trail, before you hit any winery, you hit a little vodka distillery. They have these flavored vodkas (more like cordials, because I would only drink them straight) that come in raspberry, strawberry, lemon, and orange. Delicious!
So voila! Fresh fig overload! See you all soon!!!
