If you are looking for an easy and elegant appetizer, you will love these baked figs with honey and pistachios! Ripe figs are topped with dollops of creamy blue cheese and goat cheese and baked until just melted, then generously topped with pistachios and drizzled with honey.
There is a short window when fresh figs are in season, towards the end of summer and at the brisk beginning of fall. And as soon as figs are ripe, I happily buy my weight in them for as long as I can. Usually, I like to make roasted figs with red wine and rosemary which happens to be fantastic with some Greek yogurt or labneh cheese. But when I need a quick, festive, and gorgeous appetizer, I make baked figs with honey and pistachios.
Stuffed Figs with Goat Cheese, An Impressive and Easy Appetizer
If you are looking for a stunning and easy appetizer, look no further, because these stuffed figs will be enjoyed by all!
I paired the baked figs with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay, which turned out to be a perfect match with the roasted fruit appetizer.
About the Ingredients
- Fresh Figs: Use a variety of different figs for color contrast.
- Blue Cheese: Roquefort and St. Agur are two creamy and slightly salty blue cheese options that go very well with the sweet honey and figs.
- Whipped Goat Cheese: You can also add crumbled goat cheese, but if you want to take the extra step, blend some goat cheese with a splash of lemon juice and honey and blend until creamy.
How to Pick Ripe Figs
Here are a few tips on picking and buying figs.
- Look for figs that are smooth on the outside with no obvious bruises or tears.
- Figs should be soft but not mushy. The softer the figs, the riper and sweeter they will be.
- Really ripe figs will start to expel their natural juices at the bottom of the fig. These will be very sweet.
- If you are growing figs, leave them on the tree for as long as possible, since figs won’t ripen once picked.
Tips and Substitutions
- Substitute chopped walnuts for the pistachios.
- Instead of honey, a drizzle of balsamic or even pomegranate molasses would be delicious.
- For a pop of brightness, garnish with lemon zest.
Baked Figs with Honey and Pistachios
Baked figs with honey and pistachios is an easy and impressive appetizer. The baked figs are topped with blue cheese, pistachios, and drizzled with honey.
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 10 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8-10 fresh figs cut in half
- 2-4 ounces blue cheese such as Roquefort
- Whipped goat cheese (recipe below)
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
- Honey for drizzling
For the Whipped Goat Cheese
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange cut figs on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place goat cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, and honey in a small food processor and blend until smooth. Add more milk or cream if needed until thick and creamy.
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Top half of the figs with crumbles of blue cheese and the other half with a teaspoon dollop of whipped goat cheese.
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Drizzle everything with olive oil and place in the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese just begins to melt.
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Once done, remove from oven and sprinkle chopped pistachios over the figs and a drizzle of honey.
Serve on a platter alongside a glass of chilled Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Notes
- Whipped goat cheese is optional. To keep it even easier, top the figs with crumbles of goat cheese.
- Cut a small piece off the side of the fig so the figs don’t roll over on the baking sheet.
- These are best served the same day, because as the figs sit, they will soften and lose their structure.
