I have found that the vast majority of fun appetizer recipes involve carbs with a topping. Canapes, bruschetta, and even just a cheese tray are all essentially the same thing. Crackers or bread with stuff on them. Which is fine, but when you are serving pizza for dinner, bruschetta is a pretty lame appetizer.
This Martha Stewart recipe is perfect for those situations. And it could not be easier. Martha calls for 20 ounces of figs for 6 to 8 people. That seemed incredibly excessive, and I used about 10 ounces for my crowd of 7, which seemed to be just the right amount.
The original recipe is simply equal parts honey and olive oil whisked together, then use the mixture to coat the dried figs before sprinkling them with coarse salt and baking for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Martha suggests a mix of dried Mission and Turkish figs, but I just used dried Calymyrna figs because that’s what they had at the store.
The finished product was delicious. The inside of the figs get very soft and almost creamy, and the outside gets this delicious glaze. So good. Next time I make them, I’d probably increase the salt a bit because I like salty food. But, the beauty of this recipe is that its so simple that you can adjust it to your taste.
I served the figs on a platter with thinly sliced proscuitto. Seriously people, cooking does not get any easier than this.
I have a major weakness for figs, and I’m sure that with the prosciutto, the savor-sweet contrast was excellent!