Fig, Arugula & Cabécou Crostini With Honey Sea Salt Drizzle
Ok so you know that mid-afternoon hunger? It kind of creeps in out of nowhere, and then boom all of a sudden you’re craving something a little salty, crunchy, slightly sweet with maybe a little bite?
Insert the trusty, delicious crostini. Now, you can dress your crostini up, down, sideways or however you’d like–that’s what so beautiful about a crostini. However this recipe is really meant to get after a few major flavor profiles–sweet, savory, bitter, and slightly tangy (with a crunch but that’s not a flavor profile per say).
For this recipe I used seed crackers instead of toasted bread. You can doubt me all you like but there is something special about the hearty punch that seed crackers pack. When I’m looking to add a little more fiber and protein I opt for a seed cracker instead of toast. I also like how the racker holds up to its softer fig and cheese counterparts in this recipe.
BUT if you’re a toast person, subbing it in here is also a wonderful alternative. When it comes to choosing your seed cracker, go for whatever brand you know and love. I personally have a deep admiration for the seed crackers at Trader Joes–check them out, they’re BOMB. If you’re using bread, I love levain for this–it’s easy, subtle and really nice to work with when its toasted.
Now for the cheese portion… Cabécou is just a fancy sister of the well-known goat cheese. I love buying it marinated or opting for a herb goat cheese–I just find that those two options offer the most diverse flavor. And they just kind of feel special–right? Herb marinated goat cheese? Yes please, sign me up!
Alright…now the rest is super self explanatory. Fresh figs are in season from mid-summer through the beginning of autumn so now is the perrrrfect time to take a trip to the farmers market to pick some juicy, plump, brimming with flavor figs. When selecting your figs, there isn’t really much of an art to it–just veer from figs that look too shriveled or already bruised–these won’t lend themselves well to slicing nor presentation, and its likely that their flavor will taste a bit more “fermented”, (similar to that of a fig neuton) rather than fresh.
Ingredients
4-6 figs, sliced into 1/4 inch slices or however thin you prefer
2 seed crackers (or two pieces of toast)
4 tbsp Cabécou or goat cheese of choice
pinch of arugula
pinch of sea salt
tbsp honey for drizzle
Assemble
Lay your crackers out on a flat surface and gently coat with Cabécou.
Thinly slice your figs and place on top of the crackers–however artfully you’d like! Now is the time to get creative (or if you’re like me and are famished at this point in the day just toss ‘em on there).
Garnish with arugula.
Drizzle honey on top.
Sprinkle with sea salt.
And there you have it! Now if you’re in for a fancy afternoon–pour a nice crisp, cold glass of riesling and you’ve got a lovely little moment.
