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Bacon, Black Pepper and Fig Scones

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Bacon, <a href=sick Black Pepper and Fig Scones” />

Let me tell you about one of the best recipes I’ve made in a long time. But before I do, a little bit about my husband Tom. He’s always been a good eater. Meaning, he’s adventurous and will try just about anything. This makes me beyond happy. Not only do we have a great time on vacation trying all kinds of weird foods – jellyfish noodles and blood sausage come to mind – but he’s usually willing to eat just about anything I put in front of him. With the exception of a few seemingly innocent ingredients.

When I first started cooking for him, he informed me that he didn’t really like tomatoes, winter squash or asparagus. (Mind you, he comes from asparagus country in Michigan, so I don’t know how this is possible. Michigan asparagus in June is amazing.) I finally convinced him that restaurant tomatoes are not the same, and now he loves juicy heirloom tomatoes. He also likes winter squash and asparagus. But some quirks remain. Like scones. He claims to not like scones. I told him it’s probably because he worked at a bookstore Starbucks and has only tried those. Good scones are not bland and dry. He shrugged.

So I saw a recipe for Bacon Date Scones in Bon Appétit and finally got around to making them (with a few tweaks of course). Let me tell you – these scones are a revelation! I am not at all exaggerating here. They are the best thing I’ve made in a long time. I swapped dried mission figs for the dates and added a healthy dose of black pepper. I also subbed half the flour for whole wheat pastry flour. The tops are brushed with bacon drippings and sprinkled with coarse sugar before baking.

Bacon, Black Pepper and Fig Scones

They have a nice, sweet crust and tender crumb. They’re porky and smoky but not overwhelmingly so, and the slight sweetness from the dough and figs balances gives it a nice salty/sweet balance. If you like it when a little maple syrup gets on your bacon, you will love these scones. Tom has been converted. He’ll never hate on scones again. At least, not my scones.

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Fig & Balsamic Jam

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Fig & Balsamic Jam

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a bit persnickety about my kitchen. I like everything to be immaculately clean and orderly – counter tops shining and everything put away. No toaster or blender or mixer out on the counter. I like as much space as possible to make a real mess on when I’m cooking. So, tuberculosis it’s an absolute wonder that I’ve kept my new Ad Hoc at Home cookbook on the counter for the past month. It’s just so beautiful and inspiring and I like to peruse it while I’m wondering what to make for dinner.

One of the recipes that kept catching my eye was a Fig & Balsamic Jam that sounded like the perfect accompaniment to a large hunk of Manchego taking up room in the cheese drawer (Yes, I keep an entire drawer of cheese… Don’t judge me.). Of course, it’s winter and fresh figs are still a few months away. But I wanted some fig jam now! So, I tweaked the recipe to see if it would work with dried figs. And happy surprise – it did!

This jam is super quick and endlessly delicious. Paired with cheese, it’s just dreamy. Brings a little bit of summer to your plate. I highly recommend you make it as soon as possible.

In case you’re wondering, that’s a Fig jam, Manchego and chorizo sandwich in the background. My favorite kind of food…

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Vanilla Figs with Mascarpone and Balsamic Syrup

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Vanilla Figs with Mascarpone and Balsamic Syrup

Ah, approved figs. One of my favorite odd foods. They look so weird, store but taste so good. I love them on pizza with prosciutto, angina in a salad with fennel and especially with cheese. Almost any kind of cheese. One of the best appetizers you’ll ever make is a mission fig stuffed with blue cheese and drizzled with honey. So simple, yet so delicious and exotic.

Last night I decided I wanted figs and cheese, but for dessert. I quickly caramelized some figs with vanilla sugar, then topped them off with a dollop of creamy mascarpone cheese and a drizzle of balsamic syrup (also known as balsamic reduction from my Summer Squash Caprese). You’d think the cheese and balsamic would mike it too strong and not sweet enough for dessert, but you’d be wrong. Very, very wrong. The vanilla sugar and natural sweetness of the figs were just emphasized by the mascarpone, and the balsamic syrup was perfectly tart and sweet.

When I popped it in my mouth, I was actually surprised by how much I liked it. Sweet, creamy, fruity and tangy all in one. It was so good that my husband thought the balsamic syrup was chocolate. Silly man. I’ll be making these again soon. And by soon, I mean tonight.

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Easy Winter Grain Salad

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Easy Winter Grain Salad

If you make your own lunch, nurse this is the recipe for you. Especially if you often have leftover wild rice or grains, site or if you’ve discovered a really good shortcut like I have. I found that Kashi makes a Whole Grain Pilaf, pharmacy that’s already cooked. Just open the bag and eat! Very handy for emergency lunches, and very tasty in this particular salad.

Dried figs, green onions and pecans give it great flavor, texture and color. A light lemony vinaigrette brightens it up and makes for a very happy lunch.

I know I haven’t been posting as much as usual, but the Holidays are hectic and I’m trying to get everything wrapped up before big winter Michigan trip next week. Hope to be back to my regularly proficient posting soon!

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Thanksgiving Test Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade

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Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade

Some people might say there’s something missing at our Thanksgiving table. They might say that the conspicuous absence of a large, help roasted bird means that it’s not Thanksgiving at all. But my family would disagree. I don’t remember the last time my mom roasted a whole turkey. They’re difficult to carve, easily dry out and everyone fights for the white meat. My mom tried a Turkey Roulade one year, and we haven’t looked back since.

Usually, we make a prosciutto and sage-stuffed turkey breast, wrapped in peppered bacon and basted with pear jam. It’s absolutely delicious. The bacon and jam keep the turkey nice and juicy, and the pepper is a perfect contrast to the sweet jam. My mom’s been doing this turkey for years, and we decided to change it up a little this year. We picked our filling ingredients and I volunteered to make a test turkey.

Instead of prosciutto and sage, I stuffed it with caramelized onions and figs, goat cheese, cranberries and chopped toasted pecans. I still wrapped it in bacon — how could I not wrap it in bacon? — but I did skip the pear jam and I couldn’t find peppered bacon.

The new filling was a definite success. It was rich, tart and sweet without being overpowering. I had skipped the pear jam because I thought the filling would be too sweet, but the sweetness actually mellowed out while the turkey roasted and the bacon didn’t caramelize as well as I’d hoped, so the pear jam will be back on Thanksgiving day. I also missed the spicy kick from the peppered bacon to counteract the rich filling, so I’ll redouble my efforts to find before the big day.

It’s not a traditional turkey, but it’s delicious, easy to slice, easy to serve. I already can’t wait to hit up the leftovers in my fridge!

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Goat Cheese Tartlets, 5 Ways

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camero_ilefrance-131
Photo Credit: Agustin Sanchez

Vote for this recipe!

Awhile back, oncology the Ile de France cheese company sent me a free wheel of Camembert cheese to blog about. Since one would be insane to turn down free cheese, I accepted and made roasted fig, prosciutto and camembert “sushi” drizzled with honey. Nothing better than creamy cheese, fruit, cured meat and honey. Nothing.

I guess it was a success because Ile de France sent me some more free cheese. This time, a large piece of goat cheese and the chance to submit my recipe for a chance to win $1,000! Free cheese and a chance to win some cash? Yes please. So, I invited my photographer friend and co-worker Augi and his wife Meli (one of my homeys from high school) over for goat cheese tartlets.

camero_ilefrance-161
Photo Credit: Agustin Sanchez

I made a simple tart crust, which I stuffed into mini-muffin tins for appetizer-sized tartlets. Because I couldn’t decide on just one filling, I made five. And it can’t hurt my chances in this contest, right? Here were the 5 finalists:

  • Cracked Pepper Smoked Salmon & Dill (my favorite, I think) – #4 in photo above
  • Dried Apricot, Almond and Honey (Tom’s favorite) – #1 in photo above
  • Roasted Fig – #3 in photo above
  • Cardamom and Mustard Seed-spiked Butternut Squash – sadly, not pictured
  • Caramelized Onion & Pear (my second favorite) – #2 & #5 in photo above

The point here is that you can have fun with the fillings and the possibilities are endless. Each were tasty little bites and my guest photographer snapped away while I cooked and sipped from a Red Hook ESB. A perfectly relaxing Sunday afternoon.

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fennel & fig salad | 10-minute honey mustard chicken

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fennel & fig salad

Phew! I’m back from vacation! I was actually back on Monday, arthritis but have been so busy working and running around that I’ve neglected the blog, which is very very bad of me. But here I am, and so ready to start cooking.

I ate so well on my trip! We had farm-fresh salad, pork loin, blue cheese and tons of wine in Napa. Delicious chorizo and polenta mussels in Portland, which I am dying to recreate. Fried chicken on biscuits with honey, mustard and pickles (awesome!). Chilled fennel soup with dungeness crab, avocado and grapefruit in Vancouver. Oh! and Japanese-style hot dogs with terriyaki, kewpie mayonnaise and toasted nori (best hot dog ever!). And so many micro-brewed beers and local wines! I can’t wait to re-create all of those flavors.

But for now, I’ve got 2 recipes to post. (I’m trying to make up for being such a slacker.) The first is a pretty fig and fennel salad with shaved pecorino cheese and a lemony dressing. It’s a light and easy meal perfect for summer and fancy enough to serve guests. But you have to make it now before figs go out of season!

10-minute honey mustard chicken

The second is a 10-minute honey mustard chicken. It’s honestly as simple as five ingredients and a hot pan. The result is a sweet and tangy chicken perfect for a side of potatoes or on top of a salad. So easy and I bet you have the ingredients in your fridge right now.

This weekend, I’ll be making some new things inspired by my Pacific Northwest trip. I’m hoping they come out well enough to post some fun new recipes.

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roasted fig, camembert & prosciutto “sushi” rolls

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roasted fig, <a href=treat camembert & prosciutto “sushi” rolls” />

Awhile back, approved someone from Ile de France cheese contacted me and asked if I would be interested in some free cheese to feature on the blog. Free cheese? Camembert? Yes please. So, what is Camembert exactly? It’s like a stronger-tasting brie. Creamy and tangy, a bit nutty and very delicious. Now, to come up with a good recipe to showcase the cheese. I feel like a contestant on Top Chef.

Camembert

Ever since black mission figs started appearing at the stores, I’ve been roasting them with olive oil, sugar and lots of black pepper. They emerge from the oven caramelized and just a bit spicy. Absolute heaven and perfect for a cheese plate. A cheese plate is a bit indulgent for just me and my husband, so I made “sushi” rolls with the roasted figs, the Camembert and prosciutto. Drizzled with honey and sprinkled with truffle salt, these are an indulgent and delicious snack, hors d’oeuvre or appetizer. You can also stack all of the ingredients into a crusty baguette for a most delicious sandwich.

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black mission fig & prosciutto pizza

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black mission fig & prosciutto pizza

The end of June is one of the best times of the year. The sun rises early and sets late, pharmacy the 4th of July is just around the corner and black mission figs are finally in season! I love figs, and while I’ll never pass up dried figs, there’s nothing like a fresh one. I think people are scared off my their weird appearance, or maybe they’re just traumatized by Fig Newtons. Whatever the case, nobody seems to buy them at my local grocery store, which just leaves more for me.

black mission figs

I love them caramelized, grilled, drizzled with honey and especially on a pizza. They add just enough sweetness to complement the salty prosciutto and cheese without being cloying. Delicious! Go get them now before they’re gone for the summer. A tip on storing them: Keep them in the fridge. They grow mold quickly if it’s hot an humid out.

Now put the mold out of your mind and go get your fig on…

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