A bunch of figs and a tasty discovery

Oh figs... Aren't they so beautiful? I love the colors, the texture, the sweet glossiness... And, obviously, I love to eat them. The trees are delivering the last ones this season and we are eating them gladly! Yummy!

I don't know why but when I look at them I think of autumn, even though they are more an end of summer treat. The ones we have here are kadota figs which have a balanced sweetness making them perfect for a sweet/sour combination. Salads, pizzas, smoked ham canapés, with goat cheese and nuts... you name it.

A few days ago I was craving for a snack and, as I opened the refrigerator, I saw them smiling at me. Them and a pack of sliced Edam cheese. I just grabbed them both and worked from there using my imagination and my little knowledge of what could work.

Sweet, sour, spicy, a bit acidity, a bit of crunchiness... and oh dear me, hello perfect snack! You know when you try to create something and end up with something so tasty you feel like you discovered it, more than you actually invented it? I think I made a discovery. And a damn tasty one.

Spicy figs, my way

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
Figs 

Cheese slices (I used Edam) 

Hot sauce (piri-piri, chili, tabasco...) 

Honey 

Mustard seeds (in vinegar)

Parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Grab yourself a non stick frying pan. Dump a few dashes of olive oil in case you're worried about it sticking anyway, but with a good pan you can skip this. Lay the cheese on the bottom of the pan and place figs cutted in slices on top of it. Drizzle with the hot sauce and a bit of honey (two portions of hot sauce to one of honey). Drop a few nuts of mustard seeds between the figs's slices and finish with the ground pepper and chopped parsley.

Depending on how much you're making you can roll the cheese slices borders to cover the figs, or just place another slice on top. The important thing is that you have cheese all around the figs so that you wont need to mixed it too much on heat. Figs need to be handled gentle or they will totally break apart. Now, just light the fire and let the cheese melt and all flavors combine! When it looks delicious, its done!

I've already done this as an afternoon snack, as an appetizer and even a light lunch with a salad and it never ceases to please me. The spiciness combined with the sweetness is just divine, and the mustard seeds crunch in the mouth is a brilliant surprise as they get confused with the little fig seeds. All in all, I love it! So, I'm sharing my secret with you. Enjoy!

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all photos by me