Figs are here!! I LOVE fresh figs. I get so excited when I see those compartmentalized boxes filled with the beautiful purple variety or the green, all lined up in neat little rows. If they are semi-soft – ripe, unblemished with a beautiful shape and stem, I’m pretty much in heaven.
That was the case a few days ago and I made the little first course you see below. This is not so much a recipe, but a suggestion of the combination of great ingredients to make a fantastic dish. Once again, this is all about the ingredients. If the figs are great, the prosciutto from Italy (de Parma) and very thinly sliced; the English Stilton, divine; the walnuts, super fresh and toasted; great quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar; then you are set to make something truly amazing! It’s easy and you always should have the good quality ingredients on hand as much as you can – you will use less of them, because they pack more flavor and they’re most likely better for you.
FIGS WRAPPED IN PROSCUITTO – serves 2
4 fresh purple or green figs, washed, dried, stemmed and cut in half
2 slices of prosciutto
2 thin slices of English Stilton cheese, crumbled
6 toasted walnut halves, chopped (Oven “toast” at 375 degrees in a cake pan for six to eight minutes – you will probably smell them, then take them out. Toast extra to have on hand for the next time or for green beans.)
Good quality, extra virgin olive oil
Good quality balsamic vinegar, preferable aged, but not necessary
For two plates, place 4 fig halves on each. Take the slice of prosciutto and tear into 4 pieces and wrap around each fig half. Sprinkle on the Stilton and chopped walnut pieces. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil (like a tsp. on each plate) and then drizzle with a tiny bit of vinegar too (a few drops). Serve immediately and listen to your guest tell you how much he/she LOVES you!
Now, we have been upstate all week, taking a little R and R. Look at this beautiful martini my husband made me!! (my kind of R and R!)








Four or five years ago, I made this same Beef Wellington recipe for Steve’s birthday. Whenever he gets a chance to make a request, he goes for this dish. It is not hard, just a lot of work and very time consuming. But now to do Tyler’s whole meal is a lot! Complete with flaming skillets, they made every recipe and used chicory with garlic scapes for the wilted (winter) greens, which was brilliant! The honey combined with the balsamic vinegar and toasted walnuts was divine. And it was enough cooking of the chicory to just pour the hot liquids over the washed greens. (I was secretly concerned about that but I did a good job of keeping my mouth shut.) The potatoes were amazing. And the beef, well, the beef was divine! So good in fact, it really didn’t need any green peppercorn gravy.










