Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Fig Jam, Basil and Goat Cheese

A sandwich for the front page

When it comes to periodical food porn, I confess that I’m an addict. I’m attracted to glossy magazines like a fruit fly to a tumbler of port; easily taken in by the pin-up shots on the covers of my favorite magazines; Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Vegetarian Times and especially the slickly designed Aussie imports Donna Hay and Delicious.

Just as soon as the February issue of Gourmet fell through the mail slot, I was hooked: the cover photo is a simple, oozy grilled cheese sandwich. It was almost lunchtime and I was hungry, so I went into the kitchen and made one.

It’s rare that I have the time and inclination to try a recipe as soon as it catches my eye. You know how that goes – flag the page and forget about it for a few years.

I had to make some substitutions, because when you have a Spontaneous-Cook-the-Cover episode, you don’t always have every ingredient called for; in this case my pantry was missing both the Taleggio and Fontina cheeses and escarole greens.

Instead, I made my version of this panini sandwich with sliced Raclette, goat cheese and fresh basil leaves. I did have some fig jam on the shelf just waiting for such an opportunity, which was a good thing because the sweet-savory preserves are a fantastic surprise. At first bite, this sandwich made my day - gooey, tangy cheese, grilled, warm bread and hit of fresh basil. I had a very happy lunch.

The only way to improve upon this sandwich recipe would be to add some crisp bacon or pancetta – but really, even a piece of grilled shoe leather would taste better with some crisp bacon or pancetta, so I guess that just goes without saying!

Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam, Basil and Goat Cheese
adapted from Gourmet
Serves one.

• 2 (1/2-inch-thick) center slices sourdough bread (from a 9- to 10-inch round)
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fig jam
• 2 ounces sliced Raclette or Fontina cheese
• 1/4 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
  
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

• Brush 1 side of bread slices with oil and arrange, oil sides down, on a work surface. Spread jam on bread slices and top one slice with the cheese. Arrange basil on top of cheese, season with salt and pepper. Close sandwich.
• Heat a heavy griddle or stovetop-grill pan over medium-high heat. Place the sandwich in the pan; weigh with a sandwich press or heavy skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes, until undersides are golden brown. Turn over with a spatula, and cook on the second side until golden brown and cheese has melted. Slice in half on the diagonal, and serve right away.

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Figs stuffed with goat cheese

Figs and goat cheese are perfect partners

Mark Bittman, the New York Times Minimalist, lured me in once again with this story about grilled figs. I’m never one to turn down the promise of a simple ripe fig, especially when stuffed with cheese, so I snatched up a precious six-pack of organic California Missions at Whole Foods yesterday to try it out.

If you watch the accompanying video on the NYT website, you’ll see Mr. Bittman standing in the middle of a vineyard in Sonoma while chef Gary Danko prepares his stuffed figs with nothing more than his fingers and a hot grill, conveniently using a freshly plucked grape leaf as a wrapper.

As it happened, there weren’t any fresh grape leaves to be found in my backyard, so I improvised with hydrangea leaves. Did you know they are totally edible? And no, I am not the heir to Euell Gibbons; I picked up that tidbit from Ina Garten – she once decorated a platter of fruit and cheese with her hefty Hampton-sized hydrangea leaves on her TV show. *UPDATE: I feel I should add that even if you feel goofy enough to start seasoning your figs with hydrangea buds or flowers, don't. They are both poisonous!

Also, since I didn’t want to fire up the grill for a few little figs, I put them under the broiler instead. That worked out just fine and I loved the result: warm fig and slightly oozing, tangy goat cheese balanced with a few drops of salty-sweet soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.

Ivonne, the creator of a very delicious blog, Cream Puffs in Venice, is hosting the Sugar High Friday event for food bloggers this month, featuring figs. This is my contribution, and although it’s not really a “sweet” thing, I couldn't resist making and sharing this.

Warm Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese
adapted from Mark Bittman
makes 6 servings

6 fresh figs
2 tablespoons fresh soft goat cheese
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or other fresh herb
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large hydrangea leaves or 6 6-inch square pieces of foil
6 toothpicks
Soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

With a paring knife, gently slice through the stem of each fig and make 3 1/4-inch slits. Pull the cut sides apart, forming a small pocket.

Sprinkle a tiny amount of herbs, salt and pepper into each pocket, followed by a pinch of goat cheese. Wrap figs in leaves, securing with toothpicks, or enclose loosely with foil.

Arrange fig parcels on a small cookie sheet and place under a hot broiler for about 2 minutes, or until leaves start to brown and cheese softens.

Unwrap figs and drizzle very sparingly with a one or two drops soy sauce and vinegar. Serve warm.

More FamilyStyle Figgy Business

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Back to the Future: Wolfgang Puck Pasta

California-Style Pasta with Thyme and Goat Cheese

Way back in the ‘80’s my favorite meal was a roast beef sandwich on a toasted “bulky” roll, which in parts of the world other than Rhode Island would be known as a Kaiser, smothered with mushrooms, piled high with salty meat and so juicy the bulky would be saturated and falling to pieces after just two bites. I’d get them at Chelo’s, a chain of local restaurants.

I’m dating myself here, but that was a quarter of a century ago. I was in high school, my hair was big, and if you’d offered me a pizza with goat cheese on it I know I would’ve looked at you funny.

At the same time, Wolfgang Puck was in Hollywood creating California cuisine - pulling pizzas out of wood-burning ovens and serving salads as entrees at his legendary restaurant Spago.

Look how we’ve grown up! I now love goat cheese, Wolfgang Puck has become as much a brand name as Chef Boyardee, and you can walk into your local mini-mart, grab a frozen Wolfgang Puck pizza, microwave it and eat it in the car (I’m not saying that’s a good thing).

The August issue of Food & Wine has a feature story about Puck, which got me interested in this recipe. Apparently, this was the first pasta dish on the menu at Spago and put goat cheese on America’s culinary map.

I haven’t had a roast beef sandwich in years, but I did have a look at the 2007 Chelo’s menu – the sandwich is still there - along with Asian grilled salmon on California mesclun greens.

Capellini with Goat Cheese, Thyme and Toasted Pine Nuts

Inspired by Wolfgang Puck

12 ounces dried capellini pasta
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces soft goat cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Thyme sprigs, for garnish


Cook the capellini in a large pot of boiling salted water.

Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thyme and simmer until reduced by half. Lower heat, stir in the butter and goat cheese until melted and smooth.

Drain the capellini and add to the skillet, tossing to coat with sauce.

Twirl the capellini into portions with a large serving fork or tongs and place on individual plates. Sprinkle with pine nuts and garnish with thyme, if you like.

Serves 4-6.



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Salad Day

Greens & Apple Salad with Avocado, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

I was browsing through another new cookbook the other day, At Home with Magnolia, and saw a recipe that inspired this salad. It’s easy to throw together and has lots of good things to crunch on. Perfect for Mommies Who Lunch!

Greens and Apple Salad with Avocado, Goat Cheese and Candied Walnuts
Serves 4 Moms

4 cups mixed salad greens - I like to use red and green leaf lettuce, baby spinach, and some butter lettuce for a pretty combination
1 crisp apple, such as Granny Smith, sliced thin or into chunks
1 or 2 ripe avocados, pitted and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup candied walnuts or pecans ( I used some from Trader Joe’s)
5 ounces crumbled soft goat cheese

Apple Cider Dressing:
2 tablespoons apple juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Put the salad ingredients through goat cheese in a large bowl. Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing until blended. Drizzle over the salad and toss gently to coat.

Copyright (c) 2007 FamilyStyle Food

How to eat a fresh fig

Get Figgy

There are a few things about fresh figs that I find irresistible. Their brief appearance in the produce section during late June and July brings out a certain greed in me; I need to make the most of their perfect, summer moment, or it will be gone.

Also, and this really does need to be said, they are the most, um, sexy fruit that I can think of. I mean, cut into a ripe fig and examine the dewy, rosy-red flesh hidden inside like a gift from Victoria's Secret, and tell me if that doesn't define the term food porn for you.

The other thing about figs is that, like many things, they don't ship well. So, unless you happen to live on a Mediterranean island or some other, more local paradise such as California, you probably won't get your hands on a truly ripe fig.

Living in the Midwest means that I frequently encounter unripe, mealy and totally unremarkable figs. To rock your world, a great fig should be plump, heavy for its size, and have a small drop of sticky juice clinging to its bottom. ( I told you it was sexy). The fruit inside should be a pretty pinkish-brownish color, and it will taste delicately sweet, sweet, sweet.

The figs I found the other day weren't perfect; but that was okay. I sliced each of them open like a flower, stuffed them with a little fresh goat cheese and chopped hazelnuts, and drizzled them with honey. Very grown up, and very delicious.