Sweet & Victuals

Figs Stuffed with Gorgonzola Wrapped in Prosciutto

July is high season for figs - the succulent inspiration for today's featured hors d'oeuvres dish.

I love this recipe because of the surprising flavors and textures (pungent salty crumbles encased inside a fleshy-sweet pulp) which collide in an unpredictably delicious and harmonious way.  But what truly impresses me about this dish is its sheer versality.   I was at a party in San Francisco (my childhood hometown) three summers back, when the vegan hostess served a raw food version of this recipe.  The figs were uncooked and filled with soy cream cheese instead of gorgonzola, with no prosciutto anywhere to be seen - for obvious reasons e.g. vegan hostess - but they still impressed.

A stuffed fig is like a proverbial little black dress: dress it up or dress it down, wear it day or night, and it's still correct.

Below is a dressed-up, carnivorous version - let's call it the New York version - of this recipe:

· 12 figs

· 4 oz. gorgonzola, crumbled (substitutes: goat cheese or ricotta)

· 4 oz. prosciutto, sliced razor-thin

1. Rinse and cut the tops off the figs.  Make an "x" with your knife.  Each slash should be 1/2 in. deep from the top of each fig, but the base remains intact.

2. Stuff each fig with a marble-sized morsel of gorgonzola.

3. Wrap 1/2 in.-wide strips of prosciutto around the base of each fig.

This dish may be served at room temperature, as described above.  Or, to serve warm, pre-heat your broiler and broil the figs for an additional 3 minutes on a greased baking sheet, so the gorgonzola melts.

Servings: 6 (2 figs ea.), Prep time: 8 min. (+3 min. if warm), Calories per Serving: 120, Pair with: Prosecco

Copyright Sweet & Victuals 2008.  This article and photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 

Baby Shrimp Stuffed Avocado with Sour Cream and Chives

Simple, summery and Spanish.

I first tasted this tapas dish in college, in the tucked-away leafy garden at Iruña Restaurant on 56 JFK St. in Cambridge, Mass.  Iruña has since closed down but I thought I would try making this at home.

• 1 ripe avocado
• 4 tbsp. baby shrimp, peeled and de-veined and cooked
• 6 tbsp. of sour cream (or mayonnaise)
• bunch of fresh chives
• slice of lemon

1. Rinse and cut the avocado in half, lengthwise, leaving the skin on.  Remove the pit.
2. Spoon 3 tbsp. of sour cream (or mayonnaise) into the hollow of each avocado half.
3. Rinse the peeled, de-veined and cooked baby shrimp under cold water to chill.
4. Squeeze a slice of lemon over the shrimp.
5. Place 2 tbsp. of baby shrimp in sour cream bed of each avocado half.
6. Sprinkle with chopped fresh chives.
7. Season with salt and pepper.

Feel free to dig in with just a spoon.  This is a dish best served cold.  To save on time, S&V recommends that the baby shrimp be bought pre-cooked and frozen so they need only be thawed.

Servings: 2, Prep time: 6 min., Calories per Serving: 294, Pair with: Sauvignon Blanc

Copyright Sweet & Victuals 2008.  This article and photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.