Garden Recipe: Tomato, Fig, and Cheese Salad

Eye of the Day|Garden Salad|Fig Cheese Tomato Salad

Garden Recipe: TOMATOES FIGS CHEESE

We have had a tiny fig tree in our back yard for seven years…so maybe we are graced with four or five velvety, crunchy, voluptuous figs each summer.  This year it is veritably FILLED with figs.  It’s still a tiny tree, but it’s trying harder this time. Daydreaming of my favorite garden fruits and vegetables (figs and tomatoes) makes me want to eat this until October.

Eye of the Day|Garden Recipe|Fig Cheese Tomato Salad
The main ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 T Balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ t fine sea salt
  • ¼ c really good olive oil
  • 3 T pine nuts
  • 1 perfectly ripe large tomatoes
  • ½ lb (or more!) ripe figs, cut in quarters
  • 1 oz crumbled Roquefort cheese
  • 1 t fresh thyme leaves
  • Black pepper

Whisk the vinegar and salt together, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.  Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet until light golden.  Spread tomato slices on a large plate and scatter the figs and pine nuts over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with the cheese and thyme then drizzle with the dressing and finish with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Photo Credits:
Roquefort Cheese, Creative Commons, Roquefort Cheese by Cyn Furey is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Figs, Creative Commons, this year, i have discovered an appreciation of figs by snickclunk is licensed under CC by 2.0
Tomatoes, Public Domain Dedication, Tomatoes by Image Party is licensed under CC0 1.0

Garden Cocktails: Backyard Fig Margarita

Eye of the Day|Garden Cocktails|Fig Margarita

Garden Cocktails: Backyard Fig Margarita
Pick some figs from your little tree in the back yard, or get them from the Farmers’ Market…

BACKYARD MARGARITA

1 ½  oz. silver tequila
½  oz. fig simple syrup (it’s easy, you can make it)
½ oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec
¼  oz. fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled glass and garnish. With a lime wedge on a pick with a fig wedge.

Fig  Simple Syrup
1 pint figs
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

Remove the stems from the figs and cut into quarters.. Bring the figs, sugar and water  to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the syrup has reduced by half. Let cool to room temperature and strain into a clean glass jar.

Photo Credit: Pinterest