Got figs and don’t know what to do with them? Stuff ’em with cheese!

Oh, fig season. If you have a fig tree it’s almost bittersweet; you love the bounty, but for about 2 weeks out of the year it’s nothing but figs Figs FIGS! If you don’t have a fig tree but need a really delicious appetizer that comes together in a snap, this one’s for you. It’s tasty, a little bit different, and really lightening fast. The worst part of this recipe is probably waiting for the cream cheese to come to room temperature.

One thing to note is that the cheese mixture really needs to be just the right temperature for filling. Too cold (like right out of the fridge) and it’s like a thick toothpaste that doesn’t squish very well into the figs. too warm and it’s a little too mushy and drippy. If your cream cheese is room temperature and your gorgonzola is refrigerator cold it should be just about right. If you find that it’s a little too mushy, put the cheese into the fridge for a few minutes and try again.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make these earlier in the day, pop them in the fridge and then when your guests show up out come these wonderful little morsels. They are good because they are poppable, almost like an amuse bouche. They barely require a napkin, much less a plate. Since fresh figs are sensitive little things I would not make these the day before, but up to 8 hours ahead of time and they should hold up okay.

The pecans can be toasted, but they don’t have to be. It’s delicious either way. If pecans really just ain’t your thang, you can use walnuts. (But pecans look prettier.) You could probably also get some bacon really crispy, chop it up into little squares, and top it with that.

Gorgonzola stuffed figs

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Ingredients

• 4oz gorgonzola
• 8oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 20 fresh figs
• 20 pecans (toasted is optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Step 1

Blend the gorgonzola and the cream cheese until well incorporated and smooth. Stem the figs and cut an "x" in the top of the fruit, being careful not to slice them all the way through. Put the cheese mixture in a ziplock and snip a corner end to pipe the mixture into the figs. Mixture can also be spooned into the figs. Press a pecan into the top and serve.