In my back yard when I was a young child we had fig trees and one of the trees hung over the barn roof. When I came from school my friend and I would climb up the tree on to the roof and pick the figs. I used to bring as many as I could carry for my Mom because she loved to make jam, put them in salads, stuffed them, and baked with them.

 

Stuffed Figs with Goat Cheese, Pistachios, and Honey

 

 

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

12 black mission figs

½ cup chopped pistachios (optional: walnuts or hazelnuts)

¼ cup honey

1 large baking dish

8 oz. goat cheese

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Chop the pistachios finely

2. Mix pistachios with cheese

3. Rinse the figs and gently dry them

4. Quarter them, leave the base whole

5. Mix goat cheese and pistachios in a bowl

6. Make 1 inch balls of mixture (goat cheese and pistachios)

7. Stuff the figs with the mixture

8. Place them on a baking dish

9. Drizzle honey on them

10. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes

11. Serve warm or cold

Happy cooking!

The Petite Gourmande

© 2018 by Ruth Barnes, all rights reserved

 

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Italian Flag Cookies are fluffy and light and can be enjoyed with tea or as an afternoon treat.  These special cookies have just the right amount of sweetness and have almond paste as a main ingredient.

 

 

Italian Flag Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 sticks of butter

2 – 8 ounce cans of almond paste

1 1/4 cup of sugar

5 eggs seperated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 8 ounce jar of raspberry preserves

8-10 drops green food coloring

8-10 drops pink food coloring

8-10 drops yellow food coloring

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate melted

1 teaspoon almond extract

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the almond paste, sugar,almond extract, butter, salt and egg yolks.  Mix until smooth.

2. Slowly add the flour and continue to mix until fully combined.

3. In a large bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

4. Gently fold the egg whites into the dough mixture and combine well.

5. Separate the dough into 3 equal parts and add one color selection to each.

6. Spread each section evenly into 9×13 baking pans and bake for 10 minutes.

7. Remove and let cool.

8. Begin building the layers, using the pink as your bottom.  Spread a layer of preserves on the pink layer and then place the yellow on top of it.  Again spread another layer of preserve jam and place the green layer on top of that.

9. In a small bowl melt the chocolate and spread a layer on top of your green layer and sides.  Scatter the chocolate sprinkles and place in the refrigerator for one hour to allow the chocolate to settle.

10. Gently flip the cake to expose the pink layer and spread chocolate on the bottom and refrigerate again for one hour.

11. Cut the cake to small squares or larger to your liking and serve.

 

Happy Holidays & Happy Cooking!

The Petite Gourmande

© 2017 by Ruth Barnes, all rights reserved

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These beautiful Easter cookies are both easy and fun to make. They are colorful and delicious and so so much fun to decorate! You can use everything from simple pastel colored frosting to sprinkles, shredded coconut, even pastel candies like M&M’S or jelly beans! Here you are only limited by your imagination and this is a great one for the little ones!

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