The ingredients:
- Pomegranate seeds
- Rose Water (see image)
- Black Mission Figs (organic from Chowchilla, CA, see image)
- Drunken Goat Cheese (aged 12 mos, rind soaked in red wine)
- Candied Orange Peel
- Fresh mint leaves
- Port Balsamic Vinegar
- Optional: chocolate and/or bacon, see more stuffed figs here
The directions:
- First of all, select soft figs that are plump and wide at the base.
- Earlier in the day, or the night before, remove the seeds from the pomegranates. (Click here to see a photo essay of me harvesting pomegranate seeds.)
- Put the seeds in a jar along with a teaspoon of rose water, see image, set aside, let sit overnight or a couple of hours, shake often.
Rose Water, available at Whole Foods and most international markets. 10 minutes before serving:
- Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.
- Cut the stems off of each fig, be sure to cut very close to the stem in order to discard only the stem and not much of the fig.
- Then cut the top 1/4 inch off of each fig – just enough to expose the inner flesh/seeds. Retain this top piece for another use, see comments, below.
- Scoop out enough seeds to have room for 1/4-inch cube of cheese, a mint leaf and a couple of orange peel slices. Retain the seeds for another use, see comments, below. (Be sure to use a very small utensil in order to avoid tearing the skins of the figs. A serrated grapefruit spoon works, and this narrow seafood fork works well, see image.)
- Set the figs on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other, that spacing will allow you to pick them up easily from the hot pan.
- NOTE: if the figs do not sit flat on the baking sheet, then slice off a bit of the bottom, and they won’t wobble.
- Place a mint leaf into each fig, stick it to the inside wall of the fig.
- Put a couple of orange peel slices next to the mint leaf.
- Finally, put a piece of cheese into each fig. (Try putting the cheese and orange peel slices in at the same time, this may work better for you.)
- Put the figs in the oven, at 350 degrees, for 10 minutes, or until the figs are warm and the cheese is melted.
Setting up the ramekins:
- While the figs are in the oven, pour a 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of the Port Vinegar into each ramekin.
- Shake the jar of pomegranates/rose water mixture one more time and toss a small handful of’m into each ramekin.
- Add a fig and serve.
Resources
Here are resources with recipes, facts and other interesting stuff:
http://californiafreshfigs.com/
http://californiafigs.com/