This Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese salad is UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. The beauty of the fresh figs, the soft decadence of the goat cheese, the sweetness of the honey dressing. YUM! Perhaps made even more special that fresh figs , in the North East USA, are not very easy to find. When I stumble on Fresh figs I stop in my tracks and take as many as I can.
When was the first time you tried a fresh, ripe fig? I bet you remember it. I certainly do. As a kid I grew up with Fig Newtons cookies as my only reference to figs. I first tasted a fresh fig in the South of France at the annual Fig Festival in the Varois village of Solliès-Pont. There is nothing like the rich, juicy flavor of a fresh fig. The scent of ripe figs is intoxicating with a fleshy texture that is not too sweet.
Figs pair beautifully with roasted meats (you can add fig halves into the roasting pan with Chicken, pork or lamb for a delicious side) but I love them most raw when you can fully taste their flavor.
In the north East USA the season for figs is august to September. Sometimes you can find them at Farmer's Markets but I also have been lucky at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. My local Giant supermarket started carrying Fresh Figs this year and I couldn't be happier. Look in the produce section, you might be surprised!
When the figs become a deep purple and the skin is still rather firm, they are ripe. They should almost appear dusty. You don't want the skin to go mushy - they are over ripe. Not good.
In a salad, like this one with goat cheese and honey dressing.
As a side with roasted meats
As part of an elegant cheese course
Ingredients for Fresh Fig and Goat cheese salad (for 2)
8 Fresh Figs (look for the largest, ripest you can find)
4 cups mixed greens, washed and dried
6 tablespoons of fresh goat cheese
(optional: 2 tbsps slivered almonds)
Ingredients for the amazing honey vinaigrette.
Why is this vinaigrette amazing? Because it is so simple to make and gives such a great taste to your salad - especially summer salads with stone fruit or goat cheese. Try it once and it will become your go-to salad dressing!
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Honey (any honey works here - I love a lavender honey in particular)
pinch of sea salt.
How to serve Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese salad
This salad is absolutely delicious on its own. The sheer uniqueness and beauty of the ripe figs make this salad a showstopper dish to serve at a lunch or brunch with friends or family. Pair with a Provençal Rosé and serve with some fresh baked baguettes to make a true French Riviera meal.
For fancy dinner, the salad can be served as a side to grilled or roasted meats after the main course instead of a cheese course. The natural sweetness of the vinaigrette makes for a wonderful transition into the dessert course.
Other Salad recipes you will enjoy:
Honey Roasted Plum & Goat Cheese
Tomato Burrata with basil & orange zest
I also invite you to try this recipe for a Fig, Hazelnut & Prosciutto Salad by my friend, Cheryl, of Bakes by Brown Sugar.
Have you made my Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese Salad recipe? Let me know! A comment and a rating are always appreciated!
Au plaisir mes amis,
Le Chef's Wife
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Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese Salad with amazing honey dressing
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: starters, salads
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: French
Description
This Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese salad is UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. The beauty of the fresh figs, the soft decadence of the goat cheese, the sweetness of the honey dressing. YUM! Serve as light lunch with a fresh baked baguette and glass of Rosé, as a beautiful side dish or as an elegant cheese course to finish a meal.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Fresh Fig and Goat cheese salad
8 Fresh Figs (look for the largest, ripest you can find)
4 cups mixed greens, washed and dried
6 tablespoons of fresh goat cheese
(optional: 2 tbsp slivered almonds)
Ingredients for the amazing honey vinaigrette.
Why is this vinaigrette amazing? Because it is so simple to make and gives such a great taste to your salad - especially summer salads with stone fruit or goat cheese.
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Honey (any honey works here - I love a lavender honey in particular)
pinch of sea salt.
Instructions
Split your mixed greens into two plates
Slice your figs in half, arranging 8 fig halves on each plate, insides up.
crumble the goat cheese over each plate
For the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, honey, olive oil and balsamic vinegar until the vinaigrette thickens slightly.
Drizzle over the salads.
(optional: top with slivered almonds for added crunch)
Keywords: fig salad, fresh figs, starter salad, french food, cheese course
Mary says
I'm a bit confused by the dressing recipe. Do you mean balsamic vinegar? Thank you for your thoughts.
lechefswife says
Hello Mary, thank you for catching that! I did mean balsamic vinegar. I have updated the blog post. Thank you!