Roasted Figs with Roquefort and Walnuts

I have been trolling facebook drooling over friends' summer vacations. Yes, friends, if you are my friend on facebook, chances are I have flipped through the pictures you posted of your fabulous, fun, relaxing vacation, getting in some vicarious summer vibes.

For us, you see, it's the dog days of summer. Our vacation ended a few weeks ago and we are done with vacation. Kaput. Finished. Over. All that awaits us now is the quickly approaching first day of school. It's a sad state of affairs.

Taking a vacation earlier in the summer did have one major advantage. We were here when other friends left on vacation. The kids happily earned a few dollars watering the plants, but the treat for me was not monetary. "Help yourself to any ripe tomatoes or figs. We don't want them to go to waste."

Music to my ears. I admit that I did feel a few pangs of guilt, reaping what others had sown. But I got over it in the time it took for the tomatoes to turn from a pale green to a deep red.

I first checked the fig tree a couple of days after they left, but nothing was ripe. When I checked again two days later, there were many, many ripe fruits. Amazing. And delicious. These figs, with their delicate sweetness are such a treat and a few of them did not even make it into the bag.

In addition to snarfing them one after another raw, I wanted to do something more with them, something to make them a bit more special, but that still left them as the stars of the show. Gabe and I made a version of these simple little treats years ago in a cooking class and it popped back into my head as I was noodling over what to make.

I have to digress for a moment here. I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday or what I did last weekend, but I remember what I made in a cooking class 15 years ago. I must be insane. Really. I have given Gabe the same book twice because I didn't remember that I had already given it to him. And I did that not once but twice! But this recipe for figs pops to mind?!?! Houston, we have a problem.

But they were good. Very good. The few minutes in the oven softens the figs and allows the cheese to melt and the walnuts to toast perfectly. I'm getting a picture of myself in my old age, surrounded by stacks of multiple copies of the same book, reading them over and over because I won't remember what I just read. Next to me, a plate of figs.

At least the food will be good.

Roasted Figs with Roquefort and Walnuts

Makes 24 appetizers
10 minutes preparation time
5-10 minutes cooking time

12 figs
1/4 pound Roquefort
24 walnut halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the figs in half. Top each fig half with a slice of Roquefort and a walnut half.

Bake until the cheese has melted slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

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Comments

[Ricky]

LOL! Nice pictures and post...

[Margy]

Thanks, Ricky!

[Andrea]

Oh, I wish we had some figs. But, at least I am reminded now to go check the garden for tomatoes!

[Nancye]

I made these last night- so good. I love that you can remember foods from long ago too. My darling husband thinks I'm crazy that I can remember the halibut tacos in Seward Alaska or the rasberry creme brulee from a now defunct restaurant in Philly but I can't remember to pick up the dry cleaning.

Also- a fun food to share. I was at My Organic Market in Rockville and couldn't find roquefort so I picked up a blue cheese. Moody Blue to be precise. It's a smoked blue cheese. I could have sworn it had bacon in it- I actually went back to check the label. nope- all milk. I thought it might be a fun thing for a non-bacon eating foodie to try. I'm already picturing it in a pasta....

[Margy]

Ooooh, that sounds excellent! I'm going to have to get me some of that.