Cherchies Blog

Fig Prosciutto Goat Cheese Crostini Recipe

lunch, snacks, appetizersSheri Spallone2 Comments
fig prosciutto long.jpg

Cook Time:  10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Figs, take two!  It is fig season and my obsession continues.  This quick and easy mouth-watering recipe hits all the flavor notes, it comes together in minutes, and is perfect for any occasion.

Figs, yes, please! It is fig season, and this quick and easy mouth-watering recipe hits all the flavor notes; it comes together in minutes and is perfect for any occasion.

Thank you to my friends Nancy, who gave me this fabulous recipe idea, and Colleen, who gave me additional cheese pairing ideas! When I mentioned our new Fig Preserves, both responded, "Oh, I love figs!". Nancy shared a recipe she recently had for lunch, which included figs, goat cheese, and prosciutto over toasted crostini. I added a rosemary balsamic reduction to the mix, and OMG, talk about a party flavor in your mouth! 

This recipe would be perfect as a light lunch, afternoon snack, or an elegant party appetizer, assembled as pictured or artfully arranged on a cheese plate with meats, cheeses, mustards, fruits, etc. See "How To Create Create a Cheese Plate." The sweetness of the Fig Preserves, the tang of the goat cheese, the saltiness of the prosciutto, and the flavor burst from the balsamic reduction will send your taste buds into overload. This recipe is easy and elegant and a must for your recipe collection!  

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have used any of these hacks or if you have some to add. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients (per crostini)

  • Italian bread or baguette, sliced diagonally 

  • 1 large log of goat cheese (could substitute Blue Cheese for a more intense flavor.  Thank you, Colleen)

  • Cherchies® Fig Preserves

  • Slices of prosciutto (1/2 lb., depending on how many making)

  • 1 small clove of garlic, peeled

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

Preparation  
In a small saucepan, simmer the balsamic vinegar and rosemary on low until they reduce to a syrup consistency (about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool briefly. Pour the reduction through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl to remove the rosemary pieces.

Toast the bread.  Since I was making this for myself as a snack, I toasted two slices of bread in a toaster.  If this recipe is to be shared with a crowd, then place the bread slices on a tray and cook in a 350 degree oven until bread is lightly toasted.  Once the bread is lightly toasted, remove from the oven or toaster and gently rub the top of each slice with the clove of garlic.

Now it is time to assemble these delicious gourmet treats.  For a crowd, consider assembling right before your guests arrive.  Depending on the size of the toast, spread the toasts each with about 1 teaspoon (tsp) of goat cheese, then about 1 teaspoon (tsp) of Fig Preserves, and then loosely place one or two slices of prosciutto on top.  There's no need to measure.  

Right before serving, drizzle the crostini with the balsamic reduction or leave on a tray for guests to help themselves.  Easy peazy and absolutely tasty!  Enjoy!

Yum

Fig Bars Recipe

desserts, breakfast, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Fig Bars Recipe

Cook Time:  45 Minutes
Difficulty:  Easy

It's here!  We've been anxiously awaiting our newest addition, Fig Preserves! To celebrate its arrival, I couldn't wait to create something yummy! I toyed with a couple of recipes from old cookbooks to come up with this mouth-watering recipe and made these decadent treats for my family.  It wasn't long before the entire pan was devoured, not all in one day I might add, but they went quickly.  More importantly, I can't believe our children ate figs!  My how they've grown.

It's funny how one's tastes can change over the years.  Thank goodness mine did, I would have missed out on figs!  I love figs now!  

So, all you fig lover's out there, this recipe is the perfect dessert, snack, or breakfast treat, and it is sure to tantalize your taste buds.  These fig bars are sweet, buttery, "figgy" goodness, and because WE LOVE YA, we're offering our Fig Preserves at a discounted price for a limited time.  Even if you are not a fig aficionado you may surprise yourself!  Cherchies® Fig Preserves is really tasty!  Life is short, eat figs!

So glad you stopped by!

Ingredients  
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for a gluten free option, simply substitute Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour)
1 10 oz. jar Cherchies® NEW Fig Preserves with Cinnamon (Feel free to substitute any of our preserves in this recipe, our Blackberry Preserves, Cranberry Preserves with Champagne,  Apricot-Pineapple Preserves).

Topping Ingredients  
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup flour (for a gluten free option, simply substitute Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour)
1 teaspoon (tsp) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (tsp) salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 stick of melted butter
Extra coconut for garnishing (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and gradually add the flour to the butter mixture.  Spread the mixture into a 13 x 9 pan and press down evenly.  Bake for 20 minutes.  

While the crust is cooking, prepare the topping.  In a small bowl (or you can use the same bowl you used to make the bar crust...why dirty more dishes), combine all the ingredients for the topping until crumbly and set aside.

When crust is finished cooking, remove from oven and cool slightly.  Spread Cherchies® Fig Preserves with Cinnamon evenly over the crust.  Sprinkle the topping ingredients over the preserves and return the fig bars to the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until bars are lightly browned.

Sprinkle with more coconut to garnish the bars, but this is completely optional.  It makes it look pretty:) Voila! The perfect easy dessert, snack, or breakfast treat.  Enjoy!

Yum

Cranberry Coconut Bars Recipe

breakfast, desserts, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Cranberry Coconut Bars Recipe

Cook Time: 30 minutes  
Difficulty: Easy

Do you love cranberries?  Cranberries are one of our favorites here at Cherchies, and with Christmas around the corner, this easy recipe is the perfect holiday dessert, afternoon snack, or breakfast treat.  

I was inspired by an old recipe I had in my cabinet, and instead of Apricot Preserves as in the original recipe, I added a bit of Cherchies® flair by substituting our Cranberry Preserves for the Apricot and added coconut to the mix. Luckily my hunches were correct as the end result was delicious!

This recipe could easily be made with any of our preserves, our Cranberry Preserves with Champagne, Blackberry Preserves,  Fig Preserves With Cinnamon, or any of our butter spreads, but I was feeling festive and chose Cranberry Preserves:)

So, all you cranberry lovers out there, you need to add this recipe to your Cranberry collection.  You won't be disappointed!  AND, because we love ya, all our cranberry products are on SALE this weekend!
-Original recipe- Gator Country Cooks- From the Junior League Centennial Cookbook

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, coconut, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar.  Add the melted butter to the ingredients and stir until ingredients are combined and crumbly.  

Press half of the mixture into greased baking dish.  Spread the Cranberry Preserves over the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the Cranberry Preserves.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool slightly and enjoy!

Yum

Pretty Pepper Hummus Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri SpalloneComment

Pretty Pepper Hummus Recipe

Cook Time:  5 minutes  
Difficulty:  Easy

There's something seriously satisfying about making things from scratch, especially when it's easy and you can control the ingredients. Take, for example, hummus; why buy it when you can make it homemade? Add the ingredients to a food processor or blender, and in minutes, you have a delicious homemade healthy snack or spread.

It's kind of a funny story how this recipe came to be. I love those "aha!" moments. Our daughter had been on a hummus kick and came home from school craving hummus, funny kid! My initial thought was, "What did you do with my once picky daughter?" Of course, I didn't have hummus on hand to meet the needs of a hungry teenager, but I remembered a can of chickpeas and a jar of tahini tucked away in my pantry for when I wanted to make hummus someday;) Then it dawned on me I had a jar of our Pretty Peppers in my pantry. Aha! Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, our favorite! Why didn't I think of this before? I researched various hummus recipes from my cookbooks (yes, I still use cookbooks) and came up with this delicious recipe. My daughter was thrilled and gave it a thumbs up!

So, if you're looking for a fabulous tasty, creamy hummus recipe, grab a jar of our Pretty Peppers (one of our original products from 1980) and make this recipe today! It is the perfect dip for vegetables, crackers, or as a spread on sandwiches and delicious addition to charcuterie platters. You won't be disappointed:)

Comment below and let us know if you tried this easy recipe. Thank you for visiting. Please come back again.

Ingredients

Preparation
Add all the ingredients, except the Pretty Peppers to a food processor or blender and mix until the hummus is smooth. Next, add the Pretty Peppers to the food processor and pulse a couple of times in order to obtain small bits.  If you like your hummus without bits, run the food processor or blender for a couple of minutes until hummus is completely smooth.  

Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and garnish with some Pretty Peppers and chopped parsley.  Serve with vegetables, crackers, or crostini, or spread on sandwiches in lieu of mayonnaise.  Enjoy!

Yum