A Date with a Fig.....

It's sweet, it's salty.....it's delicious! This little starter was something I put together for a recent cooking class and was besieged with requests for the recipe. Here it is, just in time for the busy Holiday season! Flatbread is such a great base for so many toppings....this one has the perfect combination of sweet fig and dates-combine that with a great Gorgonzola and cipollini onions and you can't lose. Don't cheat yourself by substituting another onion, as the cipollini is the PERFECT little gem for this hors d' oeuvre. I used dried Mission figs and date paste (Ziyad brand baking dates. Look for them in the International aisle of your market). Naan bread is usually found near the deli in local grocery stores-I used the rectangular breads, but you can substitute round and slice it like a pizza. Use a quality Gorgonzola, serve it hot out of the oven, pair with a Pinot Grigio.....and you'll be "the one that brought the KILLER appetizer"  

 Boun appetito!


3 6x12" stone-baked Naan bread
13 ounces pitted dates
3 1/2 ounces dried Mission figs
8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
8-10 cipollini onions
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the breads on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with a generous amount of olive oil. Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt and pepper on each bread and bake until breads are only slightly browned, 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the cipollini onions-lower heat to a simmer and blanch the onions just until slightly soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Drain: while still warm, peel the skins from the onions and set aside to cool.

Combine the figs and dates in a food processor; pulse to combine.  Add 3 ounces of the Gorgonzola and pulse a few times to a paste consistency. Divide the mixture evenly over the breads, spreading to cover each bread evenly.  Slice the cooled onions and top each bread.  Crumble the remaining Gorgonzola and sprinkle atop each bread.  Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each bread, followed by a few turns of the pepper grinder and a sprinkle more of kosher salt.

Return the baking sheet to the hot oven and bake until cheese is bubbly.. Remove from the oven, slide breads to a cutting board and slice. Makes approximately 15 slices (5 per bread).

Rustic goodness!!

My Kitchen.....

They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I for one can attest to the fact that this is true. I love my kitchen and all that goes along with it..the good, the bad and the ugly. Not a single wall is straight, the old wood floors need refinishing and the landing is a catch-all for anything and everything coming through. But, like anything worth it's salt, it's a painstaking work in progress, a compilation of years of building, changing and evolving with the family dynamic. It began as a small 1920's colonial kitchen-cabinets built right onto the walls, meager counter space, no dishwasher.... and just enough room for a table for two.  And it stayed that way- through 3 children and countless Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings with the extended family. Great meals came from that small space, and they haven't stopped since. Although the kitchen space is now larger, we kept the unique touches that make it ours. The worn spot on the wood floor where our big golden used to lay at my feet while I peeled potatoes is still there...and our new golden seems to find himself landing there as well. The drafty leaded-glass window above the sink is still there...it's a pain to clean and is forever slamming shut on it's own in the summer, but it's charming. Through the years we've painted, plastered, poured cement and gotten crafty with cork. The cabinets are bursting  with my treasures...spices, baking staples, family china and cookware in all shapes and sizes. My mother and grandmothers dutch ovens have found a home here, along with lots of "collections" of new pieces.  Much to the dismay of my husband, nothing can be found in the same place twice....but that's ok. I consider it organized chaos. The once "large enough" wall bookcase he built for my cookbook collection isn't any longer, and the ever-growing lending library of books is now stretched across the back wall of my home office upstairs. And that's ok, too. We are happy in my kitchen because I want it to be a happy place..shoes and fingerprints are allowed.  Memories of holidays, sleepovers, gingerbread and pancakes on the griddle are made here. The grandchildren can be kept occupied for hours on end with the two special baking drawers filled to the brim with fascinating pastry tips, silpats and sprinkles.....and I let them go at it! Tupperware in a lower cabinet can keep a child busy while I bake a cake.....
But the best part of my kitchen is the aroma from the range-whether it's a special occasion cake that's cooling on the counter top, or a pork loin that's roasting under a blanket of herbs and pancetta, the reaction is always the same. Someone smiles and inhales slowly. And my heart smiles back.  

It's a new year