21 November 2011

Fig Goat Cheese Pie with Basil

My friend Evan and I made these mini pies one day after work. We took over my parents kitchen, at a time when they normally would have been making dinner. Mini pies were everywhere. Running them in an out of my already stuffed fridge, trying to line the tins with the crust, while it was seemingly taking forever to roll out each ball of dough to the right size.

So I was watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives one day. The place that they were featuring made a blueberry goat cheese basil pie. It seemed like such an interesting combination, blueberry and goat cheese being great but the mix of basil seemed like a refreshing touch. Goat cheese is perfect with fruit, better to me than cream cheese because it has that tangy element.

I didn't have any blueberries at the time, but had just been given a bag full of figs from a friend. I didn't know what to use them for, then I saw that episode. I figured that figs would be a perfect substitute for the blueberries. I was a bit worried that the figs might break down a bit too much when cooking and get mushy in the custardy base, being such a delicate fruit. But it didn't happen, they held up their shape well.

When I first told my dad what they were, he was just about to eat dinner, so he grabbed one of the pies to eat. 'Are you only eating dessert for dinner?' I ask, he looked at me puzzled saying 'They aren't savory?' So despite the goat cheese and basil that could sound like a savory dish, these little pies are sweet. Not overly though...







Adapted from the 3 Sisters Cafe recipe



16 comments:

athena said...

love the little pie pans. the flavor combo sounds intriguing. happy thanksgiving julie!

pips said...

Your photos are gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

mmmmm, this looks good! And the photos are amazing.

Sarah said...

I love this entry, from the stunning pictures to the recipe, and your entire blog!! Thank you for sharing! :)

The Cilantropist said...

Wow I am surprised an original blueberry version of this was on diners, drive-ins and dives - it seems really elegant and unique! Thanks for sharing this great idea, and your photos are lovely.

Rikki said...

The figs are such a great substitute for the blueberries...love this recipe.

Christina Topf-Boman said...

another great recipe I can use with my millions of figs! They little pies were delicious (we ate them as a dessert!) c;)

Sara said...

Absolutely gorgeous pies! This looks amazing - great use for figs, yum!! :)

Anonymous said...

i love your blog.just found it. your photography is incredible and your recipes look delicious!

argone said...

yum yum, so nice to see figs again !

Unknown said...

oh too bad there are no figs anymore here...but it might work with some other fruits, like pears, what do you think?

Julie Marie said...

Valeria: yeah I think pears would work great. Or even strawberries, if they were in season...

fanny said...

your pictures are beautiful!

Ash said...

I love the looks of this!!

Anonymous said...

if only i'd found this a month ago when my figs were still coming in! i love figs, so i know i'll love this recipe. thanks for sharing!

Marte Marie Forsberg said...

These look delicious! I'll have to try;)