There are a few recipes, that, when I see them, I must immediately run to the grocery store and buy the ingredients to make them—this is one of those recipes. If you’ve never had goat cheese, it is comparable to Feta cheese, but creamier and milder. I recently had a goat cheese appetizer at a restaurant. It was slightly toasted goat cheese rounds paired with crostini and a red and yellow cherry tomato tapenade. It was out of this world delicious. In fact, I was certain no goat cheese appetizer could be better—that is, until I saw this recipe. Goat cheese is paired with caramelized onions, garlic, and figs. The result? An amazing combination of sweet and savory that is simply paired with sliced baguette. I recommend serving this for a crowd; otherwise, you may just eat the whole thing yourself. Enjoy!
Place 2 pounds goat cheese into a gratin-type dish. Set aside.
Remove the stems from 14 dried mission figs (1 cup), then slice them. Place them into a small saucepan and add about ½ cup water. Add about 1/4 cup sherry. Let them come up to a simmer then turn off the heat and allow them to marinate.
Sautee 2 large sliced Spanish onions; 2 tsp. salt, freshly ground black pepper, and 10 crushed garlic cloves in ¼ cup olive oil for about 10 minutes until golden. Next, add 3 stalks rosemary. Add reconstituted figs (don’t need all the liquid) to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Pour over the goat cheese and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees (upper part of the oven) for 20 minutes. Serve with cut baguette (you’ll need two) or crostini.
(If you’d like, you can bake the baguette slices. Simply cut the baguette into diagonal slices of desired length. In a preheated 350 degree oven, place the cut baguette pieces (in a single layer, brushed with a small amount of olive oil) on a sheet pan and bake for about 10 minutes or until desired crispness, turning once.)
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