Honey Figs with Goat Cheese and Pecans

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (6-ounce) log fresh goat cheese
• 12 to 18 fresh figs (such as Brown Turkey
• Calimyrna
• or Black Mission)
• 3/4 cup honey (preferably tupelo
• orange blossom
• or sweet clover)

Instructions

1. To prepare the goat cheese, place the chopped pecans in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.
2. Roll the goat cheese log in the pecans to coat evenly.
3. Refrigerate until firm, if necessary, then cut into 4 to 6 uniform rounds.
4. To prepare the figs, using a small paring knife and starting at the stem end, quarter the figs, but dont quite cut all the way though the bottom.
5. Open them slightly to form a flower.
6. To serve, divide the figs evenly among 4 or 6 shallow bowls.
7. Top each fig with a round of pecan-crusted goat cheese.
8. Drizzle the honey over the figs and cheese.
9. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
10. When measuring out sticky ingredients such as honey, first spray a little nonstick spray into the measuring utensil, then fill with the ingredient.
11. The sticky substance will slide right out.