Artisanal Snacking: Getting Figgy with It

Figs are the love of my life (and if my beau is reading this, I'm sorry...but you have to admit you kind of already knew this). And speaking of my beau, it was his sister Christina who provided me with my inspiration for this week's Artisanal Snack. Christina lives in Brooklyn, is one of the most immensely likable people I've ever met and has a lovely and delicate Amelie-esque quality about her. However what I find most impressive about her is the kick-ass urban garden she cultivates from the small window box area of her 3rd floor brownstone apartment. A few pictures for your viewing pleasure:


Kiwi, pomegranate and avocado trees; alpine strawberry plants; mint, rosemary, lemon basil, chives, oregano, and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting...lush, green and gorgeous - who says you can't garden in an urban setting? An inspiration indeed, and I'm honored to feature the snack that she casually posted about on Facebook last week that left me eager to put my own spin on it. Here is both her recipe and my version:

Figs à la Christina:
Fresh figs
mascarpone cheese
prosciutto
apricots

Cut figs in half and put on a cookie sheet face up, arrange the remaining ingredients on top (she liked the apricots with or without the prosciutto), put in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Figs à la Lola:
Basically the same as Christina's recipe, except I substituted brie for the mascarpone cheese and added fresh rosemary. The result is a rich and decadent appetizer or light main course. My only caveat is that the prosciutto and brie baked together made for a slightly oilier-than-desired result for me - but I am not a fan of the overly-oily. I think most people would find this incredibly delicious and savory. But next time I am going to keep the prosciutto out of the baking process and perhaps add it after the figs and brie have cooked.

Bon appétit! And merci beaucoup to Christina.