Fig, Honey and Goat Cheese Flatbread
Fig, honey-goat cheese, and local honey are the toppings on a flavorful sourdough flatbread. Topped with caramelized onions, fig balsamic vinegar, a rich extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) and a touch of fresh mint, it is light and delicious. The flavors explode in your mouth. It was actually challenging to decide which ingredients to use in the title of this recipe. Every ingredient contributed to the success of this flatbread.
High Praise for this Fig, Honey and Goat Cheese Flatbread from a Tough Critic
I know the Olive Sunshine readers may think I am over-selling the deliciousness of this flatbread, because I am often enthusiastic for my food. Nope. In fact, I do not think I can adequately share in writing how the commingling of these flavors came together perfectly. For those of you who know my Sweetheart, he is NOT one to effuse verbal enthusiasm. In fact, I have had to learn to read non-verbal cues to know if he likes something. Usually going for seconds, or a double thumbs up, is high praise from Mark.
Yesterday, after he has his first helping, my Sweetheart comes out, and says, “This is great”. I almost fell over as I did not even have to prod him. Then he went on to say, “The caramelized onions really add a nice flavor, just the right amount of fig, and the trace of mint was good.” Since I do not think the flatbread gods took possession of my husband, I will have to assume, it was really THAT GOOD!
A Flavorful Flatbread
Brown Turkey Figs 
Caramelized Onions in Fig Dark Balsamic 
Roasting in the oven
The star of this flatbread is of course the roasted Brown Turkey figs. Use any fresh fig. Brown Turkey is my favorite fig for this flatbread. If you only have access to dried, stay the course, it will still be delicious. When given the opportunity, make this flatbread with fresh figs! Both the figs and the caramelized provided a perfectly subtle sweetness to the flatbread. There is a balancing act of the tang of the crispy, wheat flatbread and the smooth richness of the EVOO. A drizzle of sweet, locally-farmed honey and a fig-dark balsamic on the top of the flatbread added an extra punch of sweet and sour. The honeyed goat cheese served as a creamy backdrop to pull together all of the flavors.
Honestly, the mint was added as a garnish to provide a pop of color. My Sweetheart’s feedback made me give it a second thought. Which meant, I had to have another piece. (It was a sacrifice for the blog.) The mint elicited the natural minty flavors from the honey which added an unexpected complexity. Mint is now a full-blown ingredient!
Olive Sunshine Wants Your Feedback!
Prior to eating lunch yesterday, I had sketched out what I was going to say about this flatbread. I am able to write five effervescent paragraphs about this Fig, Honey and Goat Cheese Flatbread! Now I understand why Mark was enthusiastic with his praise. You will find many similar recipes on the blogosphere. Fruit sweetened flat breads rich with honey and creamy goat cheese is not new, but I have to say the delicate balances of flavors makes this one of Olive Sunshine’s best recipes. I hope you thinks so too!
P.S. Because this is so good, I almost forgot to say it is also Mediterranean Diet compliant. I love this way of eating!
Ingredients
Instructions
The Sourdough Pizza Dough recipe will be loaded later today:
Other Substitutes Can Include:
Make-Ahead Pizza Dough
Store Bought Wheat Dough
A package of wheat Naan.
A note on caramelizing onions: This is where the time is spent, because to get perfectly caramelized onions you have to watch them. I would suggest that these are prepared ahead of time. Look for an Olive Sunshine recipe that shares a Mediterranean Diet friendly way to prepare this versatile ingredient.
If you are being Mediterranean Diet conscious, this should give you 4 servings. Confession – we each ate two servings.
Here inEl Paso TX I have not seen figs. However, Costco does carry dates.
Dates are a great substitute for figs!!! A bit sweeter.
What is your favourite way of caramelizing your onions for this recipe?
Hi Susanne,
I really do not “caramelize” them in the system of French cooking. I slice them very thin, add a good olive oil in the pan making sure the pan has a thin film and cook them on medium high heat. About mid-way through I salt them to release some of the liquid. I actually just made a big pan of these last night to use as a topping and ended up eating them as a side (my husband did too). So good!