A taste of autumn comes together in this easy appetizer that pairs well with a dry red wine. Poached figs in red wine and savory sweet potato are easy toppings for crostini bread.
Figs: Terrific Toppings for Crostini Bread
There are so many ways to use figs with crostini. We’ll share a few of our favorites below.
- Crostini with Fig Spread, Crispy Prosciutto + Brown Butter Pistachios (frizzled prosciutto + soft fig spread + luscious nutty pistachios)
- Fig, Ham + Cheese Crostini (warm melty cheese + salty ham + sweet fig slices)
- Crostini with Dried Fig Puree + Goat Cheese (citrusy fig spread + tangy chevre)
- California Fig + Bacon Cheddar Bites (creamy cheese + crisp bacon + chopped figs + scallions)
- Fig + Olive Spread (salty, briny olives + sweet figs — perfect with blue cheese crumbles)
Both varieties of Sun-Maid and Orchard Choice California Figs are delightful on crusty crunchy bread slices. For more of a tangy, nutty flavor that’s delicately sweet, try our Golden Figs. Or, if you prefer the more familiar jammy flavor of figs, go with Mission Figs.
Poached Figs in Red Wine
Soaking the California Figs in wine not only plumps them up but infuses them with flavor. Once they’ve been steeped in wine they add a slightly sweet, acidic topper for the savory spread made with California Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes and figs go marvelously together—another appetizer to try out are the sweet potato toasts topped with blue cheese and figs.
Poached Figs in Red Wine
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Crostini
- 1 baguette sliced into 30 1/4" rounds
- 1 lb California sweet potatoes chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves minced
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp salt kosher
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Red Wine California Figs
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs sliced
Instructions
- Toast the baguette slices for 12 minutes at 350°F or until stiff to the touch. Cool the bread. Meanwhile boil or steam the sweet potatoes until fork tender, about 5 minutes. Heat the honey, olive oil, and rosemary in the microwave for 25 seconds. Mash the sweet potatoes. Stir in the orange zest and hot honey mixture. Then stir in the salt and pepper. Cool the mashed sweet potatoes. Heat the wine, orange juice, and brown sugar over high heat until just boiling. Stir in the sliced figs. Turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan, soaking the figs for 5 minutes. Drain the figs. Prep the crostini with a smear of sweet potato and then tile one or two wine-soaked figs on top.