Gorgonzola Fig Crostini

Yesterday, I wrapped up some fun, low key Vday ideas. One of my favorite parts of the list? Staying home, cooking and eating together...but who am I kidding? This is never relegated only to Valentine's Day. Admittedly, this is one of my favorite activities. I also think that for a special occasion, it's nice to have multiple courses. Even if you start out with one small hors d'oeuvres and a glass of wine before dinner, it just makes the whole meal feel much more special. For this Valentine's Day dinner, I'm preparing a new find that I tested out for Superbowl and I have to tell you...it's pretty fabulous and destined to become a Humiston household staple. It's Gorgonzola Fig Crostini and mark my words, after one bite, you'll be hooked. It's no secret that I harbor a borderline obsessive love for all things sweet and savory and have been known to dabble in crostini from time to time. This recipe is the perfect way to fulfill both. And you may remember that I mentioned my new found taste for fig jam in January Favorites. I received more than a few questions about where to find it. Since I've been unable to find it for a reasonable price, I made my own. Scroll down for the super duper simple tutorial.

Gorgonzola Fig Crostini with Carmelized Onions
*Adapted from Recipe Girl
1/2 C Fig jam, at room temperature
4 oz Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled or soft), at room temperature
1+ tsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
1 Baguette, sliced into thin pieces
1 large onion, sliced not diced
1 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Turn your baguette slices into crostini by drizzling with olive oil, salt and pepper and baking at 350 degrees for 5 minutes on each side. Separately, place gorgonzola crumbles in a mixing bowl along with a splash of desired dairy (whether cream or milk). I used merely a splash at a time just to hold the gorgonzola together so that it would be in spreadable, rather than crumbled form come spreading time. Place gorgonzola in a small dish and fig jam in another dish (again, if you can't find fig jam at your local grocery store, or simply do not want to pay $9 for a jar, scroll down for a tip on how to make your own) and crostini on a plate. In a small sautee pan, heat olive oil and add onions. Cook them on very low heat, stirring occasionally until they get brown, sweet, and delicious. Admittedly, when I made this last week, I did not give mine enough time to actually carmelize (which is why they are white in my photo, not golden brown). What can I say? The game was starting and I had to shake a tail feather. Though next time I plan to give 'em the full time the deserve, the onions were still soft and delish even if they weren't fully browned.

Put it all together:
Spread some gorgonzola on your crostini. Place a dollop of fig jam over the cheese. Top with a bit of carmelized onions. Enjoy!

And now for the Fig Jam tutorial. This was seriously so easy and so tasty. Let me know if you give it a try!
Fig Jam
*Adapted from Recipe Girl
1 C dried Black Mission figs
2 C water
3 tbsp granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt

Cut stems off of figs.

In a food processor, combine figs and lemon juice, pulsing until it looks like this:
In a saucepan, combine chopped figs, water, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for a long time. The original recipe said 25 minutes, but after that time lapsed, mine looked like this:
Not exactly jammy, if you will. So I let it go for another 25 minutes, stirring occasionally or when it looked like it was necessary. Essentially, you want it to reduce enough so that it's thick and spreadable, not watery like the above photo. After the second 25 minute simmer sesh, it was ready to go, looking gorgeous to boot:
I mean, really, doesn't that look good enough to eat? And yes, there are a LOT of seeds in this bad boy. But don't worry, you hardly even taste them or notice they're there for that matter, and that's coming from a bona fide seed-hater. So is that simple enough for you? I'm going to go ahead and assume that this will also be out of this world on a grilled cheese sandwich...

So that's my Valentine's Day hors d'oeuvre. It's pretty, chic and tasty to boot. Oh, and notice the deep red and soft white colors involved? It's really the perfect holiday treat.

Game Day Eats: Ultimate Pizza Dip

You may or may not know about my fascination with pizza. From Pizza Fridays at work to ordering it once a week for dinner (though still searching for the perfect slice in Hoboken or Jersey City... recommendations welcome!) it seems like that would be enough. That is until I stumbled upon a life-changing recipe. This recipe has become a serious staple on our weekly football-watching Sundays and it's sure to make a major appearance on Superbowl Sunday. It's the Ultimate Pizza Dip - delicious and a crowd-pleaser to boot.

Ultimate Pizza Dip

1 pkg cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)

1 8oz can Red Pack tomato sauce

1 medium onion, diced

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Pepperoni (I use the turkey kind)

Black olives (if you'd like)

Dried oregano & basil

Tostitos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spread cream cheese in bottom of 9 inch pie plate

Pour tomato sauce over cream cheese

Sprinkle with basil & oregano (to your taste)

Sprinkle diced onion over seasoned sauce layer

Sprinkle cheese over top (generously!!)

Add whole pepperoni slices and black olives(if using...I didn't) on top

Bake for 20-25 minutes uncovered until cheese is brown and bubbly and looks like this...

Serve with Tostitos.

*For another twist add bell peppers or red pepper flakes

So what do you think? What are you doing, and subsequently eating, on Superbowl Sunday?

If you missed Part I of Game Day Eats, check out Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Crostini.

Game Day Eats: Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese Crostini

I don't know about you, but I'm still on a high from the Jets big win this weekend. Not only were the Jets - Chargers the highlight game of the weekend (let's face it, the other games were doozies), but it solidified New York representin' in the final playoff game (the winners of which head off to the Superbowl on February 7). Though I'm a born 'n bred Giants fan, I still fulfill my wifely (and local citizenly) duties by rooting for the Jets since they are Shaun's number one team. And since the Giants just couldn't make the cut this year, Shaun and I can both bask in New York wins with the Jets. When I first started watching football a few years ago, one of my favorite aspects of game day quickly became (what else?) the food. I mean, really, is there anything better than curling up on the couch in your favorite jersey (mine is now a toss up between my Jacobs and Boss tee's) or hitting your favorite bar for a frosty mug of brew and a basket of wings? I think not.

In honor of the upcoming biggest game day of the year, the Superbowl, we're dishing up some fun and fabulous (and super easy!) game day eats. First up is Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese Crostini. Not only is it easy and delicious, it's chic and pretty to boot. Check it out...

Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese Crostini

2 heads garlic

4 oz herb goat cheese

1 baguette

1 tbsp butter

cooking spray

olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

To make the crostini:

Slice baguette into thin slices on a diagonal.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (yep, this will make clean up a snap), drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 7 minutes then turn the bread and bake 5 minutes more. This simple technique turns simple bread into crostini (which sounds so much fancier, doesn't it?). 

To roast the garlic:

Slice off the top part of the garlic - not the wide bottom, but the thin top so that the garlic cloves are exposed inside the peel.

Place 1/2 tbsp pat of butter on top of each head of garlic. Place buttered garlic face down in a small baking dish coated with cooking spray - I use a sweet little ramekin which is just big enough to hold two heads of garlic. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until garlic is browned and soft, about 30 minutes.

To serve:

Spread goat cheese on crostini. Dig out a garlic clove and spread on top of the goat cheese. Enjoy and be prepared for lots of ahhh's and mmmm's.