Fig and Goat Cheese Appetizer

Fig season is just about coming to an end in San Luis Obispo, but I thought I would share this easy little recipe that is both sweet and tangy and full of that figgy goodness.

The twin has moved out to twelve fine acres of Edna Valley and with her sweet rental came a large mature fig tree with an abundant crop of ripe purple figs. So naturally, I stole quite a few of them this season. Garret and I have a tiny little fig tree on our porch that we once thought was barren, but this year it produced three whole figs! I think we are on to something.

Ingredients

6-10 figs, any color (anticipate about 1-1.5 figs per person)

*per fig half*

1/4 teaspoon creme fraiche

1/2 teaspoon chevre

a drizzle of honey or agave nectar

a dash of pepper

Directions

Clean figs under cool water. Pat dry and slice in half, removing stems. Top each half with a small dollop of creme fraiche followed by a coin of goat cheese. Place figs on a plate and carefully drizzle with honey or raw agave nectar and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper.

Summer Caprese Salad on Flatbread

I love juicy red tomatoes that just plain taste like summer. I picked up some fresh tomatoes and arugula from Farmer's Market and got to work on a new caprese dish. This makes for a nice light dinner on a hot day or could be made more miniature and served as appetizers.

Ingredients (serves 2 if made this way)
6 - 8 ounces fresh pizza dough
1 handful fresh basil leaves (or other similar greens)
1 T pine nuts or walnuts
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T Parmesan or other hard cheese
1 large hot house or heirloom tomato, cut into thick slices
4 thick slices fresh mozzarella cheese (the kind that is packed in water)
1 cup fresh arugula or other similar greens
1 T capers
a drizzle of good quality olive oil
fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Roll out the pizza dough into thin 6" circles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, prick the surface a few times with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden and slightly crispy.

In the meantime, make the pesto sauce by placing basil through Parmesan in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and saucy. It should be a drizzling consistency, so you may need to add more liquid as necessary.

When flat breads are finished baking, top with arugula, cheese and tomato slices. Drizzle with pesto mixture and sprinkle with capers, salt and pepper.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

I made a ton of this dip this weekend for a little Memorial Day barbecue. This dip is always a hit at parties and can be made ahead of time and heated right before guests arrive. This can be modified to be as healthy or as naughty as you like, but the full-on heart attack version tastes the best. This recipe will make a 9x9 Pyrex pan worth of dip.

Ingredients
1 cup daisy sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 80z block cream cheese, room temp

1 bag chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1 large jar marinated artichokes, chopped- reserve the juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t hot sauce
1 cup sharp cheddar or Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin to taste

1/2 cup home made bread crumbs (see below)- substitute with panko if lazy

Serve with tortilla chips, sliced peppers, carrot sticks, thin sliced toasted baguettes, etc.

Directions
In a large bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients together. Add half of the vinegary juices from the jar of artichokes to the mixture. Add a half cup of the cheese into the dip and season to taste. Transfer to a greased pyrex pan and top with remaining cheese.

To make the bread crumbs, toast 5 slices of sourdough bread until golden. Tear into pieces and combine in a food processor or blender until crumbly. Add 1/4 cup melted butter and mix. Crumble on top of dip.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden and dip is bubbly. Serve warm.

Modifications

• Add a jalapeno that is seeded and finely chopped for an extra crunch and spicy kick.
• If dip needs a little more of that marinated vinegary taste, add red wine vinegar
• Forgo cream cheese and just use mayonnaise and sour cream
  

Brie with Almonds and Fruit Preserves

This recipe makes for a quick and easy appetizer. I found a wonderful jar of fig (slight obsession) preserves, but I presume any fruit preserve that is not overly sweetened would do well.













Ingredients
one triangle brie- approx 6-10 oz
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup prepared preserves

apple slices and crostinis for dipping

Directions
Cut the brie into slices and place in a slightly oiled baking dish. Top with almonds, salt, pepper and oil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and apply a thin layer of preserves. Place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Serve warm with toasted bread slices and apples.

I have found that with serving brie the most important thing is to not skimp on quality. Crappy store brand brie will taste like it. Some bries have more of a consistency of rubber than a nice soft cheese. I recommend buying double or triple cream brie from Trader Joe's and make sure that when it is chilled in the refrigerator that it still is soft to the touch.

Here are some more brie facts I found on the web

• The white moldy Brie rind is edible and is usually eaten along with the softer interior.
• Underripe Brie will feel hard when gently pressed with your finger, while overripe Brie will feel too soft and runny to the touch. The exterior should be firm, while the center should be springy but not watery.
• Brie stops aging once it is sliced, so if it is not properly aged when you cut into it, it will not improve.
• Brie should be brought to room temperature or warmed before eating.
• French Brie has a lower fat content (about 40 percent) than American Brie which has up to 60 percent fat content. However, true Brie cheese is unpasteurized and illegal to import to the US.
• Champagne goes particularly well with Brie cheese.

World's Best Bean Dip

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo (this is you Nar)! I grew up on this bean dip- Superbowl, house parties, any occasion to make bean dip- we made it. I believe the recipe originated from an old family friend Randi Smith. This is always a hit and really easy to make. It makes a great burrito too! Watch out you may find Melanie and I selling bean dip burritos with avocado slices out of a little cart at the beach some day.





















Ingredients
1-2 cans vegetarian Rosarita beans
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
cumin
corriander
onion powder
garlic powder
salt
cayenne pepper
(or use half a packet of taco seasoning if lazy)
3-15 good splashes of hot sauce, depending on your tolerance
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese- reserve most for topping
chips

Directions
Mix beans through hot sauce in a bowl. Add spices to your personal tastes or preferences. Mix in some of the cheese for added drippy cheesy gooiness in each bite. Put in an oven safe dish, top with remaining cheese and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until hot and the cheese is melted. Serve with chips. Make extra. It will go quickly at large gatherings.

* As a side note, I usually make this with lightened versions of the sour cream and cream cheese to attempt to reduce chances of diabetes and heart disease in unsuspecting friends. I am a huge fan of sour cream as a condiment and have discovered that Daisy Light sour cream is the best light sour cream out there. The rest are grainy, flavorless and uncomparable to full fat sour cream.

Vegetarian Sandwiches

We have quit deli meat and have been on a vegetarian sandwich kick lately. Garret and I have been trying them at most of the local sandwich shops that we enjoy. Here is a rundown of our favorites:

Gus' Deli Vegetarian Sandwich:
any kind of bread, herbed cream cheese spread, mashed avocado, sprouts, tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers

High Street Deli Mother Nature Veggie Sandwich:
Sliced wheat bread, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, cheese, sprouts, sliced mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, tomato, pickle, red onion

Old Edna Deli Rochella Sandwich:
Italian baguette with fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, pesto and pesto oil- they also have a variation on this one that's on focaccia. It has all the above ingredients plus artichoke hearts, arugula, olives and herbed mayonnaise

Sidewalk Market Denicce Sandwich:
French roll, buffalo mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, red onion, basil, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar

We also created a sandwich at home that costs less than the average made-to-order deli sandwich that is pretty tasty. Recipe follows...

















Ingredients
Organic whole wheat bread
herbed cream cheese (recipe follows)
Dijon mustard
brie slices
halved cherry tomatoes
sprouts
English cucumbers
radishes
avocado slices

variations include: shaved carrots, Gruyere cheese, red onion slivers

Directions
Toast bread, put together sandwich to your liking.





















Herbed Cream Cheese
I have a little herb garden in my front yard, so I just took a variety of what I grow and mixed it with am 8 ounce block of light cream cheese.

Directions
Take cheese and let it set out until it reaches room temperature. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the following: basil, cilantro, chives, Italian parsley. Add sea salt and fresh pepper to taste, 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning and half of a clove of garlic that is minced finely. Mix everything together and refrigerate. The longer it refrigerates, the better the flavors mix together.

You can also make a great appetizer with this by spreading it on toasted baguette slices and adding roasted red peppers and a basil leaf or kalamata olives.

Black Bean Jalapeno Dip

I made this for a taco party. It was tasty and pretty healthy too!

Ingredients
1/2 a white onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos, diced
1 t olive oil
8 oz light cream cheese (room temperature)
salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and chile powder to taste
2 cans black beans (or make them from scratch!)
1/2 cup jack or pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro














Directions
Mix onion through olive oil in a blender or in a bowl with a hand blender. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add spices and black beans and make sure black beans get mashed, but not fully pureed. Put mixture in a small oven proof dish and top with cheese. Cook at 400 degrees until heated thoroughly- about 20 minutes. When finished, top with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips. You can add more jalapenos or serranos for an extra kick!