Simple Stuffed Figs

It's another Tasty Tuesday and a couple of my fellow authors and I have gotten together to share some sexy, fun recipes for you to try out.

My contribution this week is stuffed figs. 

The fig is a very sexy fruit, just ask DH Lawrence. And Dan and Lucy Cavanaugh (two of my favorite characters from the Oberon series) would certainly agree. Check out This Week's Excerpt for more about that!

In the final scene of the fourth Oberon book, A Taste of Honey, Lucy makes this dessert.

"Lucy was still in the kitchen, carefully drizzling a thin stream of warm thyme honey over the platter she’d arranged, when Dan came up behind her. 

            “Hey,” he murmured softly, and between the sound of his voice and the feel of his hands, clasped around her waist, she found it hard to breathe. 

            She put the jar of honey down on the counter and leaned back against him, closing her eyes as she said, “Hey, yourself.  You just get back?”

            “Mm.”  He leaned down to kiss her neck.  “Sorry it took so long.  Did I miss much?”

            “Yeah.  Me.” 

Fresh Figs With Goat Cheese and Honey 

Ingredients

• 12 fresh figs, I like black mission figs, but fresh green or brown figs will work just as well.
• 4 oz log of Chevre goat cheese (preferably organic)
• 4 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons honey, I like using either lavender or thyme honey for this

Optional Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
• 12 whole almonds, walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• chopped fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme or lavender

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In a small bowl, mix cheese and mint together to form stuffing

3. Quarter each fig, approximately 3/4 of the way through.

4. Fill figs with cheese. If using almonds, walnuts or pecans, insert 1 nut into each fig.

5. Place figs in baking dish. If using pistachios or pine nuts, sprinkle over and around figs at this point, and drizzle with small amount of a mild oil like grapeseed.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

7. Remove figs from oven and transfer to plates or serving platter. Drizzle with honey and, if desired sprinkle chopped herbs over figs.

Be sure to check out these other yummy treats:

Antioxidant Little Pricks by Selena Robins  

Suicide Chicken Wings by Nancy Lauzon 

And now, the rest of the excerpt I started above...

[Dan] slid his arms all the way around her then, hugging her close.  She placed her own hands on top of his, where they lay across her stomach.  His skin was warm from the sun.  She wanted to stay wrapped up like that forever.  “So, how did it go?”

            “Well, let’s see,” he sighed, rubbing his cheek against her hair.  “I think I spent pretty much the entire afternoon watching your son eat.  He scarfed down two chili cheese-dogs, some garlic fries, an order of nachos, a bag of peanuts,  popcorn, a pretzel, a frozen malted, a hamburger and two of the largest cups of root beer you’ve ever seen in your life.  I swear I do not know where he puts it, Luce.  Oh, and the team we were rooting for lost ten to six.  So--”

            “So, you had a good time, huh?”

            “Yeah,” he chuckled, slipping one arm free and brushing her hair back behind her ear.  “I really did.  We got a chance to talk, and…we cleared the air.  About a lot of things.  It was good.  I’m afraid it wasn’t much of a Mother’s Day treat for you though.”

            “S’okay.  The day’s not over yet.  I held dessert up for you.”  She sighed happily as she felt him nibbling on the edge of her ear.

            “Yeah?”  His voice was a warm, contented rumble in her ear.  “So, what’s for dessert?”

            “Stuffed figs,” she told him.

            “Figs, huh?”

            “Mm-hm.  With honey.”

            “You know,” he said, his grip around her tightening.  “I’ve been thinking.  There are a lot of things we could maybe do with all that honey of yours.”

            “Are there?”  She twisted around and looked up into bright blue eyes.  “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

            “Oh, you don’t, huh?”  He smiled, wickedly.  “Well, that’s too bad, babe.  ‘Cause, what I’m thinking of could be a lot of fun.”

            “Mm.  I guess you’ll just have to show me.”

            He leaned down to just brush his lips against hers.  “Why, Ms. Greco, it would be my pleasure.”

            “I know, Cavanaugh,” she sighed, as she pulled him back in for a real kiss.  “Mine, too.”

For more about Dan, Lucy and their love of figs check out this week's excerpt.