Beautifully sweet honey roasted figs with salty goats cheese, a crunch of walnut and crisp peppery wild rocket all liberally drizzled in a sticky balsamic reduction. It is seriously to die for... Perfect for a deliciously simple weekday lunch or to impress guests at a dinner party - it’s an all round winner! GF, healthy & vegan option.
Preheat the oven to 160°c fan/180°c/360°f.
To prepare the figs, slice off the hard stems before cutting a cross shape from the top to 2/3rds of the way down each fig (as in the pictures). Place the figs onto a lined baking tray and drizzle a little honey into the centre of each one. Any remaining honey can be drizzled over the top. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until soft and caramelised.
Meanwhile bring the balsamic vinegar to the boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and transfer to a jar or small jug to cool.
To serve, arrange the rocket, goats cheese and walnuts between two plates or a large serving platter. Place the honey roasted fig halves over the top before liberally drizzling with the balsamic reduction.
This salad is best served straight away. To make ahead, prep the figs, make the balsamic reduction and prepare all other components. 30 minutes before eating pop the figs in the oven and serve as in step 4.
You are welcome to use a balsamic glaze here instead of making your own balsamic reduction. I personally prefer to make my own as shop brought tend to have added sugars so watch out for those!
To make this salad vegan use maple syrup rather than honey and substitute the goats cheese with a dairy free alternative.
A few ingredient notes:
Recipe courtesy of georgieeats.co.uk