Caramelized Fig and Goat Cheese Crostata

Caramelized Fig and Goat Cheese Crostata

I love being able to whip something up without any advanced preparation for a recipe. I had not planned on lifting a finger to cook at all today. However, when my dad came home with a delicious carton of huge fresh figs from the farm stand the recipe wheels in my brain started turning. I popped a few into my mouth post dinner and resigned to the couch to read my book...

The figs kept calling my name. I headed back into the kitchen to see what I could come up with. Luckily, there was another frozen pie crust from when I made the Heirloom Tomato Tart, and I knew I could count on the refrigerator to house some creamy goat cheese. Voila! I had the makings of a delicious dessert.

Ingredients

1 9 inch frozen rolled pie crust

5-6 fresh figs, sliced

3 ounces goat cheese

2 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

1 egg

Preheat the oven the 375 degrees fahrenheit. Once the pie crust has defrosted, unroll onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Place the goat cheese and cream cheese in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium high power for thirty seconds. Mix in the chopped dried cranberries and cinnamon and stir to combine. Using a spoon or small spatula spread the goat cheese mixture onto the pie crust leaving about a 3/4 inch crust on the outside. Top with and even layer of sliced figs. Next, gently fold over the pie crust so that it makes a free-form crust around the filling. If the crust cracks at all make sure to press it together with your fingers. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg along the crust. This will make the crust brown nicely. Finally sprinkle the dark brown sugar evenly over the figs.

Bake for 15 minutes then turn the oven on broil and allow to bake for another three minutes. This will allow the brown sugar to caramelize on top of the figs and form a delicious brulée-like topping. I love the sweet and tart flavor combination of this crostata. Figs are some of the sweetest fruit and the goat cheese adds a nice tangy contrast. The creaminess of the goat cheese also plays will with the crunch of the brown sugar on top. Slice into six pieces and enjoy!