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Figs with Chèvre and Vanilla

Fig season is upon us! The thin skin of the purple fig, when ripe, yields pleasantly gritty and mushy insides, and their fragrant smokey flavor wins out over the texture every time. But I’ll admit, figs are strange!
The recipe below was given to me by the former owner of La Graineterie du Marché on the Place d’Aligre in Paris. Sophie Monti ran this family-owned shop – which opened in 1895! – before passing it on to her cousin, José. The store is a treasure trove, or what the French would call une caverne d’Ali Baba, and it features all sorts of culinary delights.
Sophie and her husband have moved on to greener pastures, so to speak: they now run an olive farm in Croatia! But many years ago, Sophie shared with me her favorite fig recipe, and this makes a delectable first course in late summer.
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Prep Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise and opened like a book
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ pound (225 g) or about 6 small fresh ripe figs, stems cuts off, cut horizontally into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices
  • 3 ounces (85 g), or about 5 cups loosely packed arugula, washed and spun dry
  • 3½ ounces (100 g) very fresh (not aged) goat cheese (Sophie uses “Petit Billy” from the supermarket)
  • 8 small bread rounds, lightly toasted
  • fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
 

  1. The day before you want to serve this dish, make the vanilla-infused olive oil: scrape the two halves of the vanilla pod with the back of a paring knife and place the beans (a paste, really) into the olive oil. Cover tightly and reserve.
  2. The next day, stir the infused oil, dredging the vanilla beans settled at the bottom. Heat 3 tablespoons of the vanilla oil in a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the fig slices and cook for 2-3 minutes, tossing and turning very gently. The more ripe figs will break apart, but some slices should remain whole. Turn the figs onto a platter, and let cool.
  3. Divide the arugula evenly between 4 small plates, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil (about 1 teaspoon per serving). Spread the goat cheese onto the toast rounds and set aside. Divide the cooked figs between the four plates, placing them on the arugula.
  4. Place the chèvre toast round along one side of the plate, and drizzle the figs with any remaining olive oil from the pan. Serve immediately. Bon app’!

Notes

serves 4 as a first course
© Allison Zinder