Most of the time, we plan a party and then I decide what we’ll eat. Not with this recipe. This is the kind of recipe that you decide to make and then you invite people over because you are making it. Reason being…fresh figs are not the most dependable fruit to find in this city, and so when you find them, you buy them all and then you find a reason to eat them. I cannot count the number of times that Matt’s dropped me off in front of the grocery store to grab a few quick things, and returns to find me hovering over a flat of fresh figs. “They had figs today!” I’ll announce. “Who should we invite over tonight to share them with?!”

If you find yourself with a windfall of figs, then please do yourself a favour and make this dish and then call your friends to come over and eat it with you. Because truly this is meant to be savoured with friends. The ingredients do all the work here, so it’s a fairly simple dish, with a super high impact! Give it a try and then go find some friends to share it with!

Recipe

Roasted Figs + Cherries on Halloumi with Cinnamon Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

10 ripe figs
1 cup of cherries, pitted and halved
2-3 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Olive oil
250g Halloumi cheese
Fresh ground pepper
Mint to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400
Cut 5 figs in half, slicing them from stem to base. Set aside 4 halves. Cut the rest of the figs into quarters, vertically.
In a baking dish, mix together cinnamon sticks, honey, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Add the figs (except for the 4 halves you set aside earlier) and the cherries. Use your hands to carefully toss to coat. Spread the figs in an even layer, cover with foil and roast for 10 minutes.
Carefully slice the halloumi. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Brush a very thin layer of oil on the pan, and fry the halloumi slices for a few minutes on each side until each side is golden in colour.
When the figs and cherries are done, add the fresh figs and toss everything very gently to coat. On a serving platter or shallow bowl, add the fig and cherry mixture, then the halloumi, and then drizzle everything with the remaining sauce in the baking dish. Garnish with a couple of cinnamon sticks, a crack or two of ground pepper and fresh mint. Serve immediately!