Autumn Still Life: Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle (Recipe)
Autumn Still Life:
Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle
(Recipe)
Autumn Still Life: Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle (Recipe)
Although I have enjoyed the amazingly hot and sunny summer we have had in Europe this year, I do look forward to the cooler months, especially autumn, which is my favourite season. I’m not a huge fan of the darker mornings and evenings, but I do love the bounty of fruit that comes with the season, apples, pears, quince, walnuts and plums……..plus, the changing colour of the leaves, the misty mornings and magical spider’s webs that glisten like diamonds in the morning sun…..the smell of wood-smoke and hedgerow harvests. It’s a season of rustling leaves and mushrooms, as well as Harvest Festivals and Plum Crumbles…….it’s the official start of the “Comfort Food” season where stews, pies, soups and casseroles are de rigueur. It’s also a season of FIGS, as the old fig tree in our garden just keeps on giving and giving and giving!
Autumn Still Life: Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle (Recipe)
I have lots of fig recipes on Lavender and Lovage, mostly salad recipes as well as chutney and jam, but what I really wanted to highlight today was just how versatile the fig is as an easy to prepare starter or light luncheon dish. Today’s recipe, if one can call it a recipe, is a simple assembly job where fresh figs are stuffed with blue cheese and drizzled with a lavender honey…….it’s easy to prepare, there’s no cooking and the finished dish looks like a still life painting. Figs are a favourite accompaniment for the family cheeseboard, but, they are also wonderful when stuffed with cheese too, and the honey drizzle adds a floral sweetness that offsets the saltiness of the cheese. I have shared a recipe for a Fig and Blue Cheese salad over on Great British Chefs recently, where wafer thin smoked ham is added as well as walnuts for a more substantial meal.
Fresh Fig Salad with Blue Cheese, Smoked Ham and Walnuts
As well as salads, I also LOVE preserving with my fig harvest, and one of the most requested preserves I make is my recipe for Apple, Fig and Pear Chutney with Cardamom – a delectable, richly coloured chutney with the warmth and muskiness of cardamom and the sweetness of apples and pears married with the almost nutty flavour of the figs.
From the Autumn Preserves Pantry – Apple, Fig and Pear Chutney with Cardamom
Whereas I love blue cheese with fresh figs, goat’s cheese also makes a stunning culinary partner and my recipe for Fresh Fig and Goat’s Cheese Salad with Walnuts is always popular during fig season. If cheese is a natural partner for figs, then walnuts (or any other nuts) are also perfect when served with figs, and as my walnut tree is nearly ready to offer its annual harvest, it’s very handy that both ingredients are available at the same time.
Fresh Fig and Goat’s Cheese Salad with Walnuts
However, today’s fresh fig serving idea is for something much simpler and more elegant than my rustic and hearty salad recipes……it’s a cheese stuffed fig recipe with a honey drizzle, perfect when served as an appetiser or as part of the buffet table. I used Fourme d’Ambert as my blue cheese of choice, but any blue cheese such as Roquefort and Stilton would also be good, as well as Saint Agur or Shropshire blue. I used home-made lavender honey, but again use any local honey you may have to hand, as long as it is a light, floral one, it will be delicious with the cheese stuffed figs.
Autumn Still Life: Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle (Recipe)
I hope you have enjoyed my “figgy” post for today – look out for some holiday news later on in the week, as I have just returned from Pays Basque and Spain, where we had a well-earned mini break……that’s all for today, see you later, Karen
Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Lunch, Side Dish, Snack, Starter |
| Misc | Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day |
| Region | French |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 24 fresh figs
- 100g blue cheese
- lavender or floral honey
Note
An easy and yet very elegant way to serve fresh figs as part of a buffet or as a light lunch or starter. Use any honey of your choice, but a light floral one tastes so much better than a stronger, darker honey.
Directions
| Step 1 | Wipe the figs and cut the woody stem of the top of them. Cut them in half, but not right through or quarters, depending on the size. |
| Step 2 | Cut the cheese into small pieces and then then stuff the cut figs with the cheese, pushing it right down into the cut. |
| Step 3 | Place the figs on to a serving platter or individual plates, and drizzle some of the honey over the top. |
| Step 4 | Serves 4 people as a light lunch or starter, when served with bread and salad. |
| Step 5 | Use any blue cheese or honey of your choice. |
Autumn Still Life: Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle (Recipe)
Coming soon…………
St Jean de Luz
Part of my FOODIE booty!
Tapas Bar, San Sebastian
More Foodie loot!
This time last year:
The Lavender and Lovage Weekly Patchwork Quilt of Recipes and Photos
Alicia (foodycat) says
What stunning pictures! One of my all-time favourites is figs stuffed with gorgonzola, wrapped in proscuitto and baked.
Karen says
Thanks Alicia! I also LOVE ham wrapped figs with a cheese stuffing, and often make that recipe too!
Deena kakaya says
Karen that honey and lavender drizzle sounds amazing with figs and cheese! I always find infusing honey is a bit messy( any tips? I hope that you will also check out my recipes xx
Karen says
Thanks Deena! If you drizzle the honey straight onto the serving plates and give the diners a fork, it’s not as messy! Karen
Dominic says
oh look at your gorgeous pics… can’t wait to hear all about your trip.. the fig pictures just scream autumn don’t they? I just want to dive in… fig and blue cheese must be one of those ‘made in heaven’ combo’s…GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!
Karen says
Thanks Dom, our trip was amazing and just what the doctor ordered! Karen
Patricia Shea says
What a glorious post – beautiful, paint-worthy still life photographs, fabulous recipe – what a delight. I keep seeing pictures of San Sebastian and am thinking I’d like to live there – is it as gorgeous as it looks? Thanks Karen!
Karen says
Thanks so much Patricia, I cannot wait to share my holiday via a post and photos too! And it IS as fabulous as it looks! Karen
Andrea Mynard says
I’m embracing Autumn too at the moment, lighting the woodburner once more and loving the comfort food! Very glad to see all your fig ideas as we have been enjoying a fig glut from our tree. Tried your chutney recipe last year, it was lovely, and looking forward to trying all these wonderful salads.
Karen says
SO pleased you liked my chutney recipe Andrea, it is a firm favourite of mine too, as well as all who are lucky enough to receive a jar! The woodburner will be lit here pretty soon if this misty weather continues, but I like you EMBRACE this wonderful season…….
Kellie@foodtoglow says
Such a delight to look at, Karen. These are among my favourite fall ingredients. We love salty cheese with figs (including manchego) and milky cobnuts from our generous old tree. A favourite honey to pair with ripe black figs is one infused with black truffle. Just the tiniest of thin drizzles and a touch of lemon or vinegar. Magnifique.
Karen says
Merci darlink! You have painted another picture of the amazing fig that has whetted my appetite all over again, THANKS! Karen
Tracy Nixon says
Looks so Autumnal with the colours! Thank you for sharing! G+’d
Karen says
Thanks Tracy!
Liz Thomas says
Hi Karen,
Just love figs! Your photos are fantastic!
Guess what, we are moving to France on 17th! Oct, realising our ambition of splitting our time between Europe and Asia! Fig tree for the garden will be a priority! Maybe we’ll get to meet sometime soon!
The picture of St. Jean de Luz brings back memories of driving back from Spain through torrential rain on a Monday evening trying to find somewhere to stay. Found an odd little hotel with an even odder proprietor and ended up having a wonderful meal at what seemed to be the one and only restaurant open in town!
Cheers!
Liz
Karen says
WOW! That is fabulous news Liz, do keep me posted where you will be moving to and we MUST meet up, no questions asked on that score! REALLY looking forward to the prospect of finally meeting you…….
We love St Jean de Luz, and the restaurant scene is very vibrant there now, so lots of places to choose from. We managed to forays into Spain and had tapas in San Sebastian on one day……a pictorial post to follow about that very soon!
Karen
Lilly says
figs.. YUM YUM all of them! I don`t like goats cheese but love Blue cheese, have never tried it with figs but i will!
Maya Russell says
Lovely pictures and a great way to use figs. Thanks. Shared with G+.