It’s Labor Day Weekend. Intensive mealtime labor is overrated. Your grill, by contrast, is not. Make the best of both worlds (using your grill; not using up excessing time) and try this simple grilled bruschetta that puts fresh figs to excellent use.
“This dish is ideal for a light Labor Day appetizer as we are in fig season right now,” says Chef Karo Patpatyan of The Mayfair Hotel’s Eve American Bistro in Los Angeles. “This particular dish is a very easy one for people to make at home and wow their guests.”
Eve American Bistro’s Fig & Goat Cheese Grilled Bruschetta
Makes 4 servings
Prep time
10 minutes min.
Cook time
5 minutes min.
Ingredients
- For bruschetta: 2 slices rustic sourdough bread (1-inch thick); 8 black figs (sliced ¼-inch); 1 cup soft goat cheese; 1 tbsp chopped thyme; 1 tbsp chopped chives; 1 tbsp chopped tarragon; Extra virgin olive oil, to taste; salt and black pepper, to taste; optional: microgreens for garnish
- For red wine honey gastrique: 1/2 cup red wine; 1/2 cup red wine vinegar; 1/2 cup honey; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
How to make it
Make the gastrique: Take a small sauce pot add red wine, red wine vinegar, and honey, and reduce by half, let cool. In a small bowl, whisk in 1 cup of olive oil.
Turn the grill to medium to medium-high heat, brush olive oil on your sliced bread, and grill until nice and toasted on both sides.
Put goat cheese in a small bowl, add chopped thyme, chives, and tarragon. Season with salt and black pepper. Mix until everything is incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a small bowl, add your sliced figs and marinate with a small amount of salt and black pepper and ½ cup of the gastrique, letting it marinate for five minutes.
For serving: Spread a good amount of your herbed goat cheese on grilled sliced breads, add marinated sliced figs on top, and finish with a little more of the gastrique and top with microgreens.
