Honey is a fine example of the French concept of terroir—quite literally, a little bit of the earth of the surrounding area is imparted to every jar of honey. Dede loved honey and enjoyed it on his toast or biscuits. When I grew older and started to travel, I would always bring home a jar of the local honey as a gift for him. Although he has long since passed away, I have continued the tradition and always bring home a jar of local honey as a memento when I travel. The shelf in my cupboard resembles an amber rainbow. I once had a bit of pecan-crusted goat cheese left over from another recipe and served it the next day, nestled in a quartered fresh fig and drizzled with honey—that’s how this recipe was born.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　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)

　　

Step 1

To prepare the goat cheese, place the chopped pecans in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Roll the goat cheese log in the pecans to coat evenly. Refrigerate until firm, if necessary, then cut into 4 to 6 uniform rounds.

　　

Step 2

To prepare the figs, using a small paring knife and starting at the stem end, quarter the figs, but don’t quite cut all the way though the bottom. Open them slightly to form a flower.

　　

Step 3

To serve, divide the figs evenly among 4 or 6 shallow bowls. Top each fig with a round of pecan-crusted goat cheese. Drizzle the honey over the figs and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

　　

measuring honey

Step 4

When measuring out sticky ingredients such as honey, first spray a little nonstick spray into the measuring utensil, then fill with the ingredient. The sticky substance will slide right out.

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.