Mesclun Salad with Goat Cheese-Stuffed Figs Wrapped in Bacon (Page 64)

RECIPE #1048

• Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009 -- 7pm
• Location: East Lansing, MI
• Kitchen: Our New House!!
• Fellow Chef: Matty
• Dining Companions: Brad, Deniz, Dave, and Karen H
• Recipe Rating: A-
  

I have been wanting to make this recipe for quite some time, but every time I thought of it figs were out of season. The stars aligned last weekend and I finally got to make it! My special gentleman assisted on this one. He started by cooking some bacon on the stovetop until most of the fat had rendered but it was still pliable. Then we cut figs in half, used a melon baller to take out some of the flesh, and filled the holes with goat cheese. Then we pressed the halves together to form whole figs again. We rubbed one side of each bacon slice with a mixture of brown sugar, cumin, and salt, then we wrapped the bacon (sugary side out) around the figs, and secured it with toothpicks. Then we broiled the figs for a couple minutes until the bacon was browned. We couldn't find mesclun, so we substituted some other small greens. We tossed them with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then we served the greens topped with the figs. In a word: Yum! Goat cheese, figs, and bacon are always a killer combination, and this was an excellent variation on that theme. Rubbing the bacon with the sugar-cumin-salt mixture really helped play up the sweet-savory aspect of the dish. The textures were also awesome: crunchy bacon paired with a tender fig and slightly melty cheese. The greens were a nice complement to the fig, providing something to cut the richness of the dish a bit. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

The recipe is here.

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I spent the day in the kitchen! We are having Thanksgiving at my in-laws' house with my husband's extended family. I think we are expecting 19 people for dinner tomorrow. This morning my husband and I went to the grocery store to do the remaining Thanksgiving dinner shopping. Then this afternoon I cooked! I made a mushroom pate, two different kinds of stuffing, some crostini, two cheese balls (a Hedden family tradition!), a potato dish, some onion dip, etc... It was a productive afternoon! The first few times I celebrated holidays with my husband's family I didn't get to do any of the cooking. And I missed it. Now that I am more a part of the family, some of the cooking gets delegated to me, which is lovely! Tomorrow I have a few more culinary things to finish up and I am looking forward to a yummy Thanksgiving meal and a fun celebration!

I am also looking forward to the arrival of Brad, Deniz, and their puppies! Their puppies were so entertaining last weekend when they visited us in Michigan that I think everyone is looking forward to having them around again. Here's a picture from last weekend of my husband lying on the floor getting some puppy love from Wellington:


And a picture of Deniz with both Hanby and Wellie:

They are indeed adorable!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope everyone enjoys good food tomorrow with friends and family.