Stuffed Fresh Figs Wrapped in Prosciutto

It’s summer in my mind. Sydney is still graciously warm, though the days are distressingly short. Which, to me, means one can start drinking earlier. And when I do, I dream of summer. Of the beach and drawn-out twilight. Of hurrying to save hands from melting ice cream cones and dinner outside. And I wait.

These gorgeous little nuggets are perfect for summer, the only season when figs are not just worth eating, they’re worth eating every day. (More about my love and ideas for figs here).

In summer, I buy figs by the case. Or, depending where I am, pick buckets’ worth off the trees. (The smell of the fig trees and the white goo that gets on your fingers is almost better than the figs themselves.) Figs don’t last long and aren’t as sweet eaten cold from the refrigerator. And as much as certain Europeans beg to differ, they needn’t be peeled. They are perfect alone, but are almost too beautiful not to show off.

On summer evenings, I stuff fresh figs with cheese, wrap them in meat and serve them with cold wine and warm bread. The crunch of the tiny seeds and gooey sweet of the flesh compliments the bite of goat blue cheese, which I spread generously in the middle of a halved fig, and the salty of the prosciutto, which I use to seal the fig back up again.

My only problem? It’s winter in Australia, and figs are 6 months away. Sure, I can substitute them with dried figs. But I’d rather not. Some things are worth waiting for

Fresh Figs Stuffed with Cheese and Wrapped in Prosciutto

Yeah, it’s true — the title of this recipe is the entire recipe.

Here are some pointers:

You can make little crosses in the figs (as in the photo above), but make sure that whichever way you decide to cut the fruit, don’t cut them through. You want them to be able to come back together again.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs (I like thyme) and/or ground black pepper.

I think chevre and Gorgonzola work especially well, but you can use any spreadable, strong cheese. I’ve never tried this, but I think if you took some good fresh ricotta and mixed it up with some grated Parmesan and herbs, it would make a really great filling here. You could also substitute mascarpone for an even richer version.

Serve as an appetizer with cold white or rose, and bread or, better, focaccia. Perfect before a pasta dish like this one.