{ Get Your Party Started}

Figs are so good and during the fall and winter months they pop up in a ton of recipes. I bought a tub of mission figs for this recipe I cut out of BH&G over a year ago. My son was playing with a book of mine and out it fell...so I had to whip up a bit for Christmas taste test.

A few changes I made was to add a bit of cream cheese to make it a little thicker because my mom hates goat cheese. I never met a goat I didn't love but she hates it so it's out;( and then I swirled a dallop of fig preserves into it for some color and sweetness. So delish and on a piece of buttered warm crusty Italian bread or a pretty baquette sliced up. For Christmas I'm going to get fresh prociutto and serve that rolled on the side.

Ingredients

3/4 cup snipped dried figs and a couple teaspoons fig preserve
3/4 cup crumbled chevre (goat cheese) 3 oz.) or same amount cream cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
3 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh thyme
Salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
Toasted baguette slices or Italian bread

Directions
1. In a small bowl pour boiling water over figs to cover; let stand 15 minutes. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together chevre, sour cream, basil, milk, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in drained figs and half the walnuts. Cover and chill in refrigerator up to 24 hours.
3. To serve, transfer spread to serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts and fresh thyme sprigs. Serve with baguette slices or crackers. Makes about 1-1/2 cups (twelve 2-tablespoon servings)

Fig, Walnut & Goat Cheese Spread with Balsamic Reduction

I had this incredible fig preserve at my friend age's durkssundaydinner.blogspot.com and I have had figs on the brain for a month now. So I figured wip up a nice rustic spread.

I racked my brain for possible fig partners, until I remembered a delicious fig and goat cheese pizza I saw Giada Delarentis make. I also wanted some sort of salty element to compliment the sweet figs and earthy goat cheese. I decided to add some walnuts...ummm delish! I toasted them, chopped them and salted them lightly. I cut the figs in quarters and let them sit in boiling water for 5 minutes to plump up. You can also soak them in port wine but it does turn the figs dark red,delish. Then I simply added 1/2 cup of sour cream to the cheese to make it more spreadable and then spread the goat cheese mixture on the bottom of a pretty plate and sprinkled the figs and walnuts on top of the goat cheese and then garnished the top with a fresh thyme sprig and ground black pepper! I sliced and lightly toasted a bagette and served that on the side. Ohhhhhh....but there is more.................

The Balsamic & Brown Sugar Reduction
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar

Bring vinegar to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer. When it reduces halfway, add brown sugar. Simmer some more until it becomes syrupy and sticks to the back of a wooden spoon. As it cools it will thicken.