Balsamic Blue Cheese Fig Ramekins
Balsamic Blue Cheese Fig Ramekins are so simple to make. The ozzy cheese is topped with a sticky figgy balsamic topping. With each spoonful, you get a little cheese, a chopped fig, and a taste of the balsamic. No matter what the season, this is a wonderful made-in-minutes starter.
I wanted a make-ahead starter, and my sister suggested her recipe for Balsamic Blue Cheese Fig Bruschetta. Melina makes the mixture and spreads it onto the bruschetta; she pops them into the oven with sliced figs on top. I prefer interactive eating when your guests can put as much or as little of something they want on their bread, celery sticks, or cucumber rounds. I made up the mixture the night before in individual ramekins and baked the ramekins on their arrival. Our welcome drinks with friends lingered longer than I thought; we had some ground to cover as we hadn’t been in each other’s company for a while. The ramekins sat happily in the oven, waiting for us to catch up.
This starter was a hit; my friend’s husband asked for the recipe, and he is the occasional cook in the house, so that was high praise!
In essence, the recipe requires you to boil up a balsamic reduction, which takes a couple of minutes and uses what you have in the store cupboard. Chop or slice in some soft dried figs, mash in some blue cheese and mascarpone, and voila, your starter is done.
Ideas on how to use this recipe:
Popped into pastry cases, they would make a wonderful canape.
Served as a twist on a Welsh rarebit-style hot open sandwich, it makes a light and decadent lunch dish.
In winter, add this as a side instead of the traditional soup and a sandwich. For delicious and unusual soup recipes click here Soup recipes.
In summer, a side salad and a ramekin of this balsamic blue cheese fig starter is light and delicious.
Taken to work and eaten cold with crudites, your lunch will feel like an event.
I served these Balsamic Blue Cheese Fig Ramekins with dressed salad leaves. I made a honey and Dijon mustard dressing; it was subtle and delicious.
- 6 dried figs sliced
- Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 62.5ml balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Cheese mixture
- 130g blue cheese
- 130g mascarpone
- 1 Tablespoon roughly chopped parsley
- black pepper to taste
- Bruschetta to serve
- Boil the syrup until thick. This takes a few minutes,
- Stir constantly to prevent the glaze from burning.
- Add the figs and set aside.
- In a bowl mash the cheese mixture together with a fork.
- Add tablespoons of the cheese mixtures evenly into the ramekins and pour a layer of the fig balsamic glaze on top.
- Bake for 8 minutes at 180 degreesCelsius or until the mixture has melted,
- Serve with a side salad and croustades or fresh bread,
Make ahead instructions:
Assemble to the stage of baking, cover and store in the fridge.
Just before serving pop them in the oven and enjoy.
Blue Cheeese
I have made the recipe with Roquefort cheese and Stratford Blue found at Aldi.
The Roquefort made for a very runny mixture, and the Stratford Blue was a firmer, more spreadable mixture. Use what you can get hold of and what you enjoy; either way, it was delicious.
