The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

BAKED FIG & GOAT CHEESE BRUSCHETTA WITH CHERRY FENNEL COMPOTE

MAKES 4 PORTIONS

FOR THE BRUSCHETTA 1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into eight 1-inch slices ¼ cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper

FOR THE CHERRY FENNEL COMPOTE 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved 1 teaspoon fennel seeds ¼ cup sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice

8 ripe figs, sliced 8 slices Prosciutto ½ cup goat cheese, crumbled

1 Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

4 Lay out the slices of Prosciutto onto a small cookie sheet or a wide sauté pan. Divide the goat cheese and place a mound in the center of each slice of Prosciutto. Place one whole fig, sliced and fanned out slightly, on top of the goat cheese leaving enough room to be able to fold the edges of the prosciutto over the fig. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes or until the goat cheese has melted. 5 Place a teaspoon of the cherry fennel compote onto each of the bread slices. Remove the wrapped figs from the oven and carefully lay one on each of the bread. Serve immediately.

2 Mix the olive oil with the garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl and brush onto each side of the bread. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes then turn the bread over and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 3 FOR THE COMPOTE In a small skillet heat the fennel seeds for about 3 minutes to release the oils in the seeds. Add the sugar, cherries and lemon juice and stir. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the cherries soften and become pulpy. Set aside to cool.

116 THE ROYAL CHEF AT HOME