Figs and Feta served together on a plate with fresh mint is the perfect summer appetizer. Open a bottle of wine and very good conversation will soon follow. If I’m invited to the party I admit that conversation might revolve around figs. Because I love figs. I have been known to go to great lengths to acquire excellent figs. I’ve even been known to steal them from the neighbors. Though I prefer the term urban foraging.
Very good figs are difficult to buy at the grocery store. They don’t pack and ship all that well. That’s because the very best figs should be allowed to completely ripen on the tree. Once ripe they last but a few brief days.
These facts might make figs seem too troublesome for a casual summer dinner party. However, their finicky nature makes me love figs all the more. Anything so truly special, so utterly delicious, and so mind-blowingly perfect deserves to be a wee bit demanding in my opinion.
Which is why I’m always so surprised when otherwise perfectly sane people say to me: “I don’t really like figs.”
What? To me figs define what’s truly glorious about food. To put it simply, like many of the best food experiences, figs are enjoyed with all five senses.
First, figs are visually very sensual. There’s no denying that fact. Secondly, their aroma is sweet, but there’s something dusky behind that sweet floral fragrance that adds to their primitive appeal.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of picking your own figs you know what a silky, smooth skin they have. Ripe figs also have a satisfying heft that just feels right in the palm of your hand.
Some say figs taste like strawberries. I say that’s an over-simplification. It’s true that figs are sweet like strawberries – but they’re oh so earthy too.
And though figs don’t make a lot of sound all on their own, the very mention of the word is likely to cause the other four senses to make quite a racket!
Which is why I’ve decided that disappointing figs are very likely the culprit behind that incomprehensible phrase: “I don’t really like figs”.
So let’s talk about selecting fresh figs. It’s not too difficult. But there are a few tricks.
The best figs come from hot climates. The hotter the better. The figs I remember from Southern Italy are far superior to some of the figs I’ve tasted from Northern California.
You should also know that figs range from pale green though deep black or burgundy red. Many people believe that color is an indicator for flavor. I have heard that the deep dark Black Mission figs are the sweetest. To my palate this is not true. I’ve eaten pale green figs as sweet as jam; much sweeter than the commercially grown Black Mission variety.
Whichever the color, a fig should look firm and well-shaped. If there’s white sap weeping from the stem end then it was picked too early.
Check the other end too. A drop or two of nectar slipping out of the just beginning to crack open depression at the base of the fig is ideal. Slight splits in the skin elsewhere are also acceptable.
A very ripe fig can be very, very sweet. You recognize that sweetness when the interior flesh becomes deeply colored and the seeds are very well defined. However, once a fig is to this stage it won’t last more than a day or two before it’s gone too ripe.
The main reason figs send food loving folks over the moon is because they’re one of those unique foods that changes when paired with other foods. Sweet, salty, sour or spicy. Figs accentuate, compliment and are defined by all these flavors. A fig is like wine in this way. It can be transformed by the flavors it’s paired with.
To illustrate this fact, I’ve developed a simple and elegant appetizer of Fresh Figs with Feta Cheese, Balsamic Vinegar and Mint. Put these flavors together on your plate as you like. Take a nibble here. Add a bite there. Let the combinations work their way around your taste buds and I think you’ll see what I mean. GREG
I like Bulgarian sheep’s milk feta for this recipe. Though any feta is delicious with figs.
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz) block feta cheese
- 8 ounce fresh figs (halved lengthwise if desired)
- 2–3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly cracked black pepper (as needed)
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (optional, for drizzling)
Directions
Put block of feta on a serving platter. Arrange figs over and around the cheese. Drizzle the figs with oil, season with pepper and garnish with mint. Serve the balsamic on the side as an optional drizzle.
These were AMAZING! The combination of the mint, fig, feta, and balsamic (we used balsamic glaze) was TO DIE FOR. so easy and quick to make, and such a hit! Thank you for posting!
I love figs, and this dish is right up my alley.
I hosted a party of California based relatives and was shocked how many of them had never tried a fresh fig! They said because they didn’t like fig. After one bite of a perfectly ripe fresh fig, they were all converted to fig lovers. I love your simple pairing, all of my favorite things.
Figs are beloved by my Manservant. He grew up with a fig tree in his backyard in Texas. I must say that I probably never ate a fig in my first 20 years of life. And not really that many since. However I spurge once or twice a year to please my man and this sounds like a perfectly simple way to do it!
I had two fig trees in my backyard in Dallas. Never thought to pair them with feta, which I also love.
You know, I’ve never tried figs with feta, but I am definitely a fig lover. When I was just a child, I remember the fig tree growing in my Italian Grandma’s postage stamp-sized backyard in Elizabeth, NJ. I thought they were gross at the time, but I do remember loving the aroma the surrounded the tree in the hot summer heat. I really appreciate figs now that I’m older. A real treat.
Because so many Italians emigrated to that area I have heard there are many a fig tree in New Jersey. GREG
So pretty, Greg. All of it. Next time I’m demanding, I’ll just say I’m mind blowingly perfect — like a fig. 😉
I have to mention first that the site looks really nice. It looks like a magazine and your pictures showcase very well.
I do love feta but never tried it with figs which I happen to adore too. Your simple take in food is always quite appealing.
You certainly managed to capture their unique beauty Greg! Fresh figs are a favorite treat of mine as well. I would love to sit and talk figs w you while sipping on wine! 😉
Spied some beautiful pale green figs at the new St. Roch Market here in NOLA last week. And they were small — almost tiny. I had never seen those before. Think I’ll go back and pick up a pint box.
Love the new look — bold, uncluttered and visually arresting! Salty feta is the perfect foil for sweet, luscious figs and I can attest to mushy, underwhelming figs being the reason that people say they don’t really care for figs. They obviously haven’t spoken to you 🙂
So elegantly simple. Figs are overlooked too often. I love the teeny green ones preserved in sugar & rose water, chilled and served with tea.
The red ones are lovely here with your feta, but also great in salads.
I always go with figs and goats cheese!! Definitely need THIS combo in my life.
Goat milk work fab too. GREG
Now that sounds and looks too delicious. One of my really good friends taught me all about urban foraging.…
So lucky you can forage figs! I love them too. Figs and feta are a perfect combo. With or without wine, preferably with. Thanks!
Perfect. I’m headed to the PDX Farmer’s Mkt today and spied figs there last week. I happen to have a block of the best ever sheep’s milk feta in the fridge.
What inspired you to use the mint? I love the idea of the bright with the “dusky” as you called it. Btw, I have really been enjoying the site revamp. Really a excellent layout for all of the information and truly shows off your photography skills.
Ahhh. Thanks XOGREG
PS Mint is my summer go-to herb. I have growing out of my ears, plus it add a bright herbal element that goes with everything. I grow spearmint not the cool-mouthed peppermint.