Fig and Goat Cheese Brûlée

‍

These simple but elegant figs will take your next friendly get-together to the next level and have your friends view your culinary skills in a whole different light!

‍

With minimal effort, you can transform fresh figs, which are fantastic on their own, into a gourmet delicacy that will amaze you with both its flavors and textures.

‍

‍

What Does it Mean to Brûlée?

‍

Brûlée literally translates to “burn” in French and in culinary terms and what we are doing in this recipe, that sums it up perfectly. To brûlée, you simple sprinkle a light coating of sugar on an object and then hit it with a direct flame in order to caramelize the sugars quickly.  The technique is done with the intention of creating a crust that is not only sweet, but also slightly bitter. The bitterness comes from the burnt sugars and is intended to provide a flavor-contrast to the sweetness in a dish.

‍

‍

Best Way to Brûlée

‍

The best way to brûlée, is to use a torch and set the flame to a low setting and then move your hand in a subtle-circular motion, while burning the sugars, starting from the center and working your way to the outside. The circular motion, similar to how you move your toothbrush when brushing your teeth, helps to ensure even coloring and prevents any one place from burning too quickly. When torching for the first time, it is always best to start at a low flame setting and then work your way up as you become comfortable with the technique. It may take a little bit longer at first but a few additional seconds definitely beats burning your sugar too much.

‍

What If You Don’t Have a Torch?

‍

‍In the event that you don’t have a torch, you could try using your broiler setting in your oven at its highest temperature. The key here is to brown the sugar without melting the goat cheese or cooking the fig. You want to maintain all the texture of the fresh fig and the creamy consistency of the goat cheese so it is best to heat them as little as possible. I would try not to go any longer than 5 minutes under the broiler if you are choosing this route.

‍

‍

Ingredients for the Best Fig and Goat Cheese Brûlée

‍

• Figs: This dish is in its purest form when using fresh figs during fig season. If you absolutely cannot find fresh figs, dates are a solid replacement.
• Goat Cheese: The best goat cheese to use for this recipe is a fresh chèvre. The key is to use a goat cheese that has a mild “goat funk” and a soft and creamy texture. While you can obviously use an aged goat cheese with more complex flavors, I find that the younger cheeses are better because some of the complex flavors tend to get hidden by the other flavors here.
• Pecans: While you can certainly use whatever sized pecans you want for this recipe, I like to use pieces because they make the fig easier to eat and can be pressed into the goat cheese nicely.
• Sugar: I have always had the best results using granulated sugar when it comes to making a brûlée crust. If you can find superfine granulated sugar, that is the best, but don’t go crazy trying to hunt some down because you can achieve comparable results using typical granulated sugar.

‍

‍

Tips for Making Fig and Goat Cheese Brûlée

‍

1. Taste a fig before you make them, and feel free to adjust the topping accordingly. If you feel the figs lack sweetness, add a splash of honey to the topping. The same goes for the flip side. If you feel the sweetness of the fig is overwhelming, add a splash of lemon juice to the topping.
2. Try to torch the fig immediately after topping it with sugar. If the sugar is allowed to sit before you torch it then the sugar will begin to absorb moisture and may not torch nicely.
3. Make them ahead of time. If you are planning on making these figs but want to get ahead on them, you can make the filling a few days beforehand and leave it in the fridge so that all you have to do is cut/season/top/torch the figs right before your guests arrive.

‍

‍

This is the perfect summer to fall appetizer and it's so easy to make! They're delicious and make for the best party snack. Cheers and eat well!