What I'm Snacking On: Toast (Yeah, Toast!)

Sometimes when I'm hungry, all it takes is a toasted slice of bread and some simple toppings to satiate my appetite. I almost always pick up a loaf of French or sourdough bread from the grocery store at least once a week, as I love to have fresh bread on hand. (Though I think it's fair to say that, given my love of all-things-bready, I might be in need of a carb-intervention.)

I also typically have a fridge stocked with some interesting ingredients that need to be used up, so I decided to top a couple of slices of bread with some different flavor combinations. First up: toasted French bread with fig butter, melted gruyere, fresh arugula, and a drizzle of honey. Holy yumtown.

And of course, an oldie but a goodie -- simple bruschetta on a toasted slice of French bread with pesto, a Wisconsin-grown sliced tomato, a few fresh mozzarella pearls, and some freshly-torn spinach leaves. (Look at me, all wild-and-crazy by substituting spinach for basil. That, or I didn't have any fresh basil on hand...)

The great thing about toasted French bread is that your options for toppings are nearly endless -- whether you want something sweet (such as a simple slather of ricotta cheese, a drizzle of honey, and a few fresh berries), or something savory (such as melted provolone and some thinly-sliced sausage) -- you're only limited by the ingredients you have on hand and your own imagination. Yeah, toast!

What's For Dessert: Roasted Fig Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Served on a Crispy Wonton

For some random reason, I've had figs on my mind lately. On contemplating figs, I realized that I've only ever eaten them in fig newton form. Time to rectify that situation! While in Whole Foods I happened upon a display of organic figs, and decided to try my hand at making roasted figs stuffed with goat cheese. I decided that an excellent addition to this simple dessert recipe would be to serve each fig on a crispy wonton -- the star of a dessert I've made previously. The sweetness of the crispy wonton was a perfect foil for the savory flavor of the goat cheese. Add a little drizzle of honey, and you've got a little piece of heaven in your mouth!

Roasted Fig Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Served on a Crispy Wonton
(printer-friendly version)
makes 2 servings

2 figs
1/2 tablespoon goat cheese
2 wonton skins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons raw sugar
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
honey

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut the stem off each fig. Quarter each fig by making an X-shaped cut 3/4 of the way down the fig.
3. Stuff each fig with a rounded portion of goat cheese.
4. Spray a pan with olive oil cooking spray. Place the figs on the pan and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
5. While the figs are roasting, prep the wonton skins. Melt the unsalted butter in a small dish in the microwave.
6. Brush each wonton skin with the melted butter. (Cover both sides.)
7. In another small dish, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
8. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on each wonton skin, again covering both sides.
9. When two minutes of cooking time remains for the figs, place the wonton skins on the pan in the oven.
10. Remove the pan from the oven when the cooking time is complete.
11. Place each crispy wonton on a plate. Top each wonton with a roasted fig.
12. Drizzle honey over each roasted fig. Garnish each plate with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and serve immediately.