Honeyed Figs with Roasted Rosemary Goat Cheese

Exciting news here in the home of Bull City Food: my hubby passed his citizenship exam! Gavin hails from our friendly neighbor to north, Canada, and has been in the US for about six years. But getting his citizenship gives us a sense of security and we couldn't be happier. So obviously this was reason to celebrate and in our house, we celebrate with food and wine. As soon as I heard the news, I began pulling out recipes I have been wanting to try and thinking of some of his favorite things to put together a meal worthy of such an occasion. Although I don't usually make an appetizer when it's just the two of us, I really wanted to try this honeyed fig dish I found on The Sensitive Pantry, a food blog featured on Foodblogs.com. Fresh figs are very perishable and only in season for a short time so I've been trying to get my hands on some while I still can. They are available now at most grocery stores but tend to sell out quickly. If you can't find fresh figs, dates would also be delicious or even ripe peaches would work with these flavors. Grilling the figs brings out their natural sweetness as does the drizzle of honey and lemon. The goat cheese is creamy and slightly tart, making it a perfect pairing with the sweet figs. Besides tasting delicious, these figs look absolutely beautiful and would make an impressive addition to a cocktail party or buffet table. If you are serving them to guests, do everything except grilling the figs ahead of time and then grill them quickly right before service. You want to eat them warm as they taste the best this way and it also helps to slightly melt the goat cheese. Roasting the rosemary first mellows its flavor and adds a great dimension to the goat cheese. If you don't have figs, or don't like them, I would recommend just making the goat cheese and serving it with toasted bread or crackers. Any extra roasted rosemary could be chopped and spread onto grilled meat or sprinkled on top of focaccia. As this was only the appetizer for our celebratory dinner, I will have more to come on the rest of the meal soon.

Honeyed Figs with Roasted Rosemary Goat Cheese

• 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 2-3 tsp honey, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 6-8 figs, cut lengthwise
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.
Place rosemary sprigs on a piece of parchment paper big enough to fully wrap the rosemary.
Add the crushed garlic; drizzle with about 1 tsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Wrap the rosemary in the parchment paper and then wrap the parchment in aluminum foil.
Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, turning over half way through.
Allow the rosemary to cool before removing the leaves and chopping finely.
Combine 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 1 clove of chopped roasted garlic (optional), goat cheese and 1 tsp honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine lemon juice, 1 1/2 tsp honey and 1 tsp olive oil. Drizzle this mixture over the figs and season with salt and pepper.
Place the figs on a preheated grill or grill pan on medium heat, cut side down. Grill for 2 minutes, turn over and grill for another 2 minutes.

Plate the figs, cut side up, and sprinkle the goat cheese mixture over top. Drizzle with more honey if desired, for added sweetness and presentation.

For a printable recipe click here

Cucumber Gazpacho

Recently my mom was given a full bag of beautiful garden grown cucumbers. Unfortunately, my mom does not like cucumbers so there was no way she could use them all even if she just fed them to my dad. Lucky for me, she handed the bag over to me to come up with some creative way to use all of those cucumbers. Although I like cucumbers in salads and mixed with tomatoes and feta, I didn't think I could use them all that way before they started to go bad or I started getting sick of them. So instead, I decided to make a cold cucumber soup of sorts. I love all different types of gazpacho, which are cold soups generally based around tomatoes. After a quick search on Epicurious, I found a recipe that I liked enough to use as a base and went from there.

To be honest, I didn't have very high hopes for this soup as I was making it. I don't have a food processor or blender (I'm holding out for a possible wedding present!), which would have made this much easier. Instead I used an immersion blender, causing a fair amount of splatter. I was also afraid there wouldn't be enough flavor since cucumbers are pretty mellow on their own. However, the cool and creamy soup was absolutely delicious and was made even better by the sweetness of the shrimp on top and the crunch of the cucumbers left out of the pureeing process. Cold soups are especially wonderful when it's so hot outside and the thought of cooking over a hot stove and then eating a hot meal sounds less than pleasant. I served this soup as an appetizer but with some bread and maybe a tossed salad, this could also serve as a meal. This recipe makes only about 2.5 to 3 cups of soup so plan accordingly.

Cucumber Gazpacho

• 6-8 small cucumbers or 2-3 large
• 3/4 cup, loosely packed fresh herbs (I used basil and mint)
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• Salt and pepper
• Hot sauce
• 1/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Remove the peel and seeds from the cucumbers. To easily remove the seeds, cut the cucumbers into quarters lengthwise, then cut into each quarter on a diagonal.
Small dice about 1/4 cup of the cucumber and set aside. Roughly chop the rest, about 3.5 cups.
Separate 1/4 cup of herbs and finely dice. Add to the reserved cucumber.
Combine the chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup herbs, garlic, ginger, olive oil and yogurt in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Season with about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and a few dashes of hot sauce.
Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the shrimp for about 1 minute, until pink throughout. Remove and let cool.
Chop the cooled shrimp into small pieces and combine with reserved cucumber and herbs. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Adjust the seasoning in the soup and ladle into individual bowls. Top each with a small mound of the shrimp and cucumber mixture.

For a printable recipe click here

Lemon and Thyme Goat Cheese Spread

I absolutely love fresh, creamy goat cheese. I usually buy some every time I go to the farmers' market either from Celebrity Dairy or from Elodie Farms, but just about any fresh goat cheese tastes wonderful. I'll often choose one of the seasoned logs, about 4 to 5 oz of goat cheese rolled in a variety of different herbs and spices such as fresh dill, ground cumin or cracked pepper. These are all delicious served just as they are with some crackers or sliced bread. But if you buy plain goat cheese and want to add something extra yourself, this lemon and thyme spread makes for a very simple and delicious appetizer. You can easily make it ahead of time and have it ready when guests arrive, which gives you one less thing to think about while entertaining. Or just make it to snack on while watching tv or the world cup as a great alternative to the usual crackers and cheese. Thyme has a natural lemony scent and therefore goes perfectly with lemon zest and juice. Serve the spread with toasted baguette or pita slices, or a variety of slice veggies.

Lemon and Thyme Goat Cheese Spread

• 5 oz fresh goat cheese, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• black pepper
• 1-1.5 tablespoons olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together the thyme, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with black pepper.
Pour half of the mixture into another bowl with the goat cheese.
Mix thoroughly to incorporate the herbs throughout the cheese.
Form the goat cheese into a ball or disc, and place it in whatever you will be serving it in.
Combine the remaining lemon and thyme mixture with the olive oil.
This can all be done ahead of time and reserved.
Pour the olive oil mixture over the goat cheese right before service.

For a printable recipe click here