Friday, December 11, 2009

Fig Carpaccio

Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have some fresh figs to enjoy.

Fig© by Haalo


It's still early in the season for locally grown figs so there's quite a bit of a price premium on these fruit at the moment - fig intensive recipes will be put on hold until a more plentiful supply is on offer.

This doesn't mean that you can't indulge and this recipe is great way of making the figs go a lot further. It's a dish that I've enjoyed during the summer months at Church St Enoteca and it's just been put back on the menu.

The fig carpaccio is a starter - finely sliced figs are interspersed with dots of creamy Gorgonzola Dolce

gorgonzola dolce© by Haalo

Gorgonzola Dolce is a younger version of regular Gorgonzola - the flavour is milder, the texture creamier to the extent that it is spreadable. It adds a lovely salty earthiness to the dish.

The other ingredients are Prosciutto or Jamon, a good drizzle of honey and to finish, fresh micro herbs.

Fig Carpaccio© by Haalo


Fig Carpaccio

Fresh figs
finely sliced prosciutto or jamon, roughly torn
gorgonzola dolce
honey - I used Christmas Bush Honey
micro herbs - I used watercress and red mustard

This is a dish that you can make as large or as small as you like - serve it to share in a platter, or plate it individually, the choice is yours. It's also very quick to assemble, something to keep in mind during the holiday season.

Once you're ready to serve the dish, slice the figs evenly - not too thick, aim for less than ½ cm.

Sliced Figs© by Haalo

Arrange the slices on your serving plate, leaving a bit of space around the slices.

Take a spoon and dot small rounds of Gorgonzola Dolce randomly around the plate. Follow this with an even spread of torn shards of Jamon or Procioutto. Make sure the honey is soft, dip a spoon into it and then drizzle it over the plate, making sure it passes over all the ingredients but don't be too heavy handed with it.

Finally take your micro herbs and scatter them over the plate - it's now ready to serve.

Fig Carpaccio© by Haalo

Quick, simple and fresh and guaranteed to please.

8 comments

  1. Very nice!

    Paz

    ReplyDelete
  2. Super!
    I will patiently wait until next Summer for fresh figs again!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds heavenly. Fresh figs are always very expensive here (even in summer) so I haven't eaten them that much, but so delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fabulous, Haalo - the recipe and photos. Colors, textures, and flavors are supreme.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mmmm!! Figs and gorgonzola!! Just like Kalyn, we rarely get fresh figs because they are so expensive. But they're so good, aren't they?

    Are you growing those micro herbs in a sprouting device? What a great idea!

    -Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks sooooo good!!! I love your blog!
    PS: I am adding a reference to your ras el hanout recipe in my blog, if you don't mind. :) Miriam

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Paz!

    Thanks Cinzia!

    Thanks Kalyn - they are pricey here at the moment too

    Thanks Susan!

    Thanks Elizabeth - there's a stall at Prahran market that grows a whole range of micro herbs

    Thanks Miriam!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely rendition. Couldn't have done better myself! ;)

    ReplyDelete

© Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once | All rights reserved.
BLOG TEMPLATE HANDCRAFTED BY pipdig