Homemade Fig Jam and Goat Cheese Sandwich
Not your average grilled cheese- made with creamy goat cheese and a homemade fig jam, this sandwich will have you wanting a “fancy” grilled cheese for lunch everyday.
Most of the ingredients used to prepare the fig jam and grilled cheese can be found right here at the downtown phoenix farmers market!
summer’s sweetest gift- figs!
with the abundance of figs from almost all the growers at the market, I knew I had to find a recipe that would savor them longer than their short season. The fig jam that I prepared for this recipe will stay good in the refrigerator for up to two months! 🙂 I made quite a small batch this time around to experiment with it and see how it turned out; boy, did it turn out good. I will be quadrupling this recipe after the next market in order to keep the delicious taste of figs around for a few extra months- and I recommend you do that too if you decide to make it!
photos from local farmers stands of the abundance of figs
local vendor and business ingredient shoutouts:
figs:Â I decided to grab a boat of figs from the community exchange table
sandwich bread: my favorite bread is from Noble Bread right at the market! I used the seeded sandwich bread for this one. The bread freezes very well and since I live alone, it makes it much easier for me to buy a big loaf of bread and use it for a few weeks!
goat cheese: I used Crow’s Dairy goat cheese which can be purchased at Blue Sky Farms
Fig Jam Recipe
ingredients
- 1 boat of figs (about 4 oz)
- juice of half a lemon
- a little less than 1/4 cup sugar
- a little less than 1/4 cup of water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
the process
- remove the stem from the figs and wash gently over cold water (I left the skin on for a thicker jam, but if you want a smoother consistently, completing remove the skin)
- quarter the figs and add to a small/medium sauce pan
- toss the figs in the lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla extract
- cook on medium heat and stir frequently until the sugar dissolves and the figs are juicy
- let simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
- turn off the heat and spoon the jam into a airtight jar (I stored the skin of the figs separately because I am going to try to dry them)
- let the jam cool to room temperature and then store in the fridge for up to two months! 🙂
grilled goat cheese with fig jam recipe
ingredients
- 2 pieces of sandwich bread (I used Noble Bread’s seeded loaf)
- goat cheese (I used Crow’s Dairy)
- as much of the fig jam as your heart desires
- butter for the outsides of the bread
the process
- since my bread was frozen, I began by defrosting it in the toaster
- coat one side of the bread with the goat cheese and the other side with the fig jam (feel free to also add a protein at this step)
- place the pieces of bread together and coat the outsides with butter
- I decided to put my sandwich in the air fryer (highly recommend if you have one)
- cook on 400 degrees for 5 minutes on each side
- you can also cook this up in a pan on the stove
- cook on each side until golden brown and the cheese in melty in the middle
- cut in half and enjoy!
I like to think that as I have matured, so has my cooking. Say goodbye to boring cheddar grilled cheeses and say hello to a “gourmet” goat cheese and homemade fig jam sandwich. The fig jam took the longest to make (about 40 minutes) but once I make a much bigger batch, I will have it on deck in the fridge for a long time! The sandwich itself only took about 15 minutes and was a great quick and easy meal to put together before I went to work!
The creaminess and tartness of the goat cheese meshed perfectly with the sweet fig jam- grab some figs from the market while they are in abundance at the farms!
Posted in Agriculture, All Recipes, Chef, Downtown Phoenix, Health & Wellness, Local, Loyal Local, Market Life, Recipe, Recipe Box, Summer, Sustainability, Taste of the Market, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vendor Feature, Vendors, What's In Season