Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey

Tina Wasserman
Recipe by
Tina Wasserman

On Tu BiSh’vat, it is customary to eat foods containing the Seven Species and to bless them. These are wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, dates, and olives. Upscale restaurants and caterers are serving this combination of fruit and cheese that Middle Easterners enjoyed thousands of years ago.

Although this is a simple preparation, the quality of each component must be very high for it to taste fantastic. It is best when figs are at the height of ripeness.

This recipe is also great for the holiday of Shavuot, observed as the birthday of the Torah. The beauty of the Torah has been compared with the nourishment and sweetness of milk and honey.

Ingredients
12 ripe Mission or Brown Turkey figs, cut in half
4 ounces good-quality chèvre goat cheese
3–4 tablespoons wildflower or berry honey
French bread or crackers (optional)
Directions
  1. Place figs on a plate cut side up. 
  2. Spread some of the goat cheese on each fig. 
  3. Drizzle with some honey and serve with bread or crackers.
Additional Notes
  • Alternatively, serve a plate with all of the ingredients and allow your guests to prepare their own. You can also serve them on a bed of lettuce as a first course. 
  • Mission figs are named for the California Franciscan missions where they have been cultivated since 1770.