Rosé Fest 2011-Part 3 Planked Figs with Pancetta and Blue Cheese
Planked Figs with Pancetta and Point Reyes Blue Cheese- Photo Courtesy of Dorothy Reinhold of ShockinglyDelicious.com Some sort of wrapped, stuffed and grilled figs have usually found their way on to the Rosé Fest menu. After all, when I think of those Mediterranean type summer foods that should accompany Rosés, figs definitely rank high on the list. This year, in browsing around for info on planking salmon, I ran across an interesting recipe for planked figs. That’s certainly worth a try, I thought, and the try was well rewarded. The original recipe called for goat cheese, and while I certainly am a fan of goat cheese, I absolutely love blue cheese, especially an excellent artisan blue cheese like Point Reyes, and especially when combined with bacon, so… The recipe also originally called for sprinkling the pancetta and cheese over the figs and cooking everything on the plank at once, but if you’re planning a menu for a large gathering, have several dishes to prepare and want the figs to be served fresh, hot and with the rest of the meal, I recommend planking on the grill sans cheese and additional pancetta, then finishing the dish with a quick shot under a broiler just before serving. It worked perfectly. By the way, don’t bother shopping for designer planks stamped with the name of some celebrity chef at a fancy kitchen store. I bought a long plank at a stock lumber yard, and got it cut into approximately 12 inch lengths. Even with the cutting charge, I got twice as many planks for cheaper than I would have paid at those stores, and as a bonus, the guys at the lumber yard traded tips with me about planking. Recipe follows: Planked Figs with Pancetta and Point Reyes Blue Cheese Adapted from 25 Essentials: Techniques for Planking by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig 1/2 cup Port wine 2 or so tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper 8 large, ripe black Mission figs, cut in half lengthwise, stems left intact 8 thin slices pancetta @ 1 cup crumbled Point Reyes blue cheese Honey for drizzling 1 or 2 @ 12 inch long cedar plank, sokaed in water for about 1 hour. 1. Pour the Port into a shallow dish. Sprinkle the pepper on a saucer. Dip the cut sides of the figs first into the fruit liqueur, then into the pepper, and place, cut side up, on a baking sheet to marinate for 20 minutes. 2. Cut each slice of pancetta lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips. Loosely wrap each fig half with a strip of pancetta. Cook the rest of the pancetta until crisp and crumbly and set aside. 3. Prepare a hot fire in your grill. 4. Place the plank on the grill grate and close the lid. When the planks start to smoke and pop, after 3 to 5 minutes, open the lid and turn the planks over using grill tongs. Quickly place the fig halves on the planks, cut side up. Cover and plank-roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the figs have softened and are scorched around the edges. Remove the figs from the grill, and hold until ready to serve. 5. Just before you’re ready to serve the figs, sprinkle the figs with the remaining pancetta...
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