Getting Figgy With It

Figs...
Don't see many fresh figs around here. Dried figs, occasionally. But I've always wanted to try some fresh figs recipes that have been floating around in my head.
So when C called from Costco saying that had fresh figs (5 lbs for 6 bucks or so), I pleaded with her to get some for me. Having enough mula left over from her purchasing pictures for a scrapbooking weekend, so graciously obliged.

First thought... pair fresh figs with almond/pecans in a tart format...
I had some Bahamian Sweet Pastry dough left over from a previous cooking experiment (recipe courtesy of CMF cookbook, but you can use any crust recipe) so I used that for the pastry portion of the tart.

After rolling out the dough and placing them in small muffin holes

I made the tart filling:

6 fresh figs, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (i used turbinado and used 2 Tbsp)
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts

I had 8 tarts to be filled and divided the figs between them.

In a bowl, beat eggs and sugar together. Then add Yogurt and vanilla and whisk together.
Finally, add the nuts.

Spoon the mixture over figs, filling the tarts.

Bake in a 375° oven for 15 minutes - or until puffed and brown.

They came out great except for a few problems...

1. Couldnt really get them out of the pan that easily (not together anyways). I did place for dough on the bottom of a ramekin and put the remainder of the figs and mix on top - baked for 20 minutes and then tasted - really good and no need to pry it out of the pan...

2. Next time, I'd use cream cheese (I had some, though that is reserved for other uses...) or a sour cream/cream cheese combo for the filling.

Also, maybe adding some lemon zest would elevate this dish as well.

They were actually better the next day... flavors melded better

... hmmmm...

Also...

I've heard that figs go well with prosciutto and cheese - like blue cheese or goat cheese.
Problem 1. No prosciutto. Only regular ham.
Problem 2. Goat cheese was past its prime (annoying!).
Solution 1. Use the ham.
Solution 2. I had some extra sharp cheddar (love that stuff).

So... I peeled some figs and cut them lengthwise in half.
I placed some cheese on top of the figs then wrapped the ham around the figs and cheese.

I then placed them under the broiler until the cheese started to darken.

Wow.

Wow.

The mild sweetness of the figs pairs so well with the saltiness of the ham and the smoothness of the cheese. The cheese also gives a nice bite to the dish as well. I'm the only one who tasted this, but that was fine by me!

Thanks to my brother who got me an iPod Shuffle for being his best man... I love iTunes, it's allowed me to reconnect with music and I love it...
What I have on my iPod:
Loudan Wainwright III
Tim O"Brien and Darrell Scott
Linkin Park :-)
Johnny Cash

to name a few...