who gives a fig?

now for that fig and goat cheese salad, which is a natural for this time of year, especially here in the Carolinas, where figs are available in abundance through the late summer and early fall.  This salad will work well with a variety of figs -- brown turkey, mission, karachi -- whatever variety you find fresh in store or the farmer's market.  The base for the salad is a classic flavor combination.  Fresh figs, walnuts, and goat cheese.  They are sublime together.

fig, walnut, and goat cheese salad

In this version, I toasted the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat, just until they were fragrant.  I quartered the figs, and laid them in the same hot skillet, just until they were slightly softened, and just beginning to caramelize.

The dressing couldn't be more simple.  I had some walnut oil on hand, so I used that along with some white balsamic vinegar I like for its mellow flavor. Any mild oil would work, like peanut oil or light olive oil.  I would avoid extra virgin, so the flavor doesn't overwhelm the other ingredients.  The recipe is roughly three parts oil to one part vinegar, along with about two teaspoons of dijon mustard, a minced shallot, salt and pepper.  All tossed into a screw top jar and given a vigorous shake, until it becomes slightly creamy in consistency.

I used arugula for the base, but this would be equally good over some butter lettuce, mache, mixed baby greens, or even tender-crisp steamed green beans.  I simply placed the lettuce in a bowl, crumbled on a small log of fresh goat cheese available in just about any supermarket, added the walnuts and the grilled figs, and tossed with just enough of the dressing to lightly coat everything.

The sweetness of the figs, the tang of the goat cheese and the vinegar, and the crunch of the toasted nuts are the perfect foil for one another.  And the lovely thing about all of those fresh figs, is that they can be frozen by just tossing them in a bag in the freezer.  When they thaw, they will be a bit mushier than a fresh fig, but they will have all of that fresh early fall flavor.  In the winter, try making the salad dressing in the blender, and add the flesh of a couple of thawed figs right into the dressing.

In the mean time, if you have an abundance of figs on hand, replicate this taste extravaganza by halving some figs, scooping out enough of the flesh to pack in a bit of goat cheese, top with a walnut half, and run them under the broiler just long enough to soften the cheese and lightly toast the nut.  Drizzle the warm fig halves with a bit of balsamic vinegar, and serve as an appetizer with cocktails.  They are beautiful, elegant, easy, and utterly delicious.