Friday Favorites: Fig & Caramelized Onion Tart

IT’S FIG SEASON! I feel like a little girl jumping up and down screaming that over and over like I’m going to Disney World for the first time. Seriously, figs are one of my favorite fruits of all time. That is, the fresh ones are. The dried ones taste grainy and too sweet for my palate, but the fresh ones (mmmmm) are delectable. They taste like an amazing first kiss; soft, juicy and unbelievably sexy.

Some lovely figs I enjoyed as a 0 Points+ snack

The fig is like a beautiful woman who knows how to dress herself for any occasion. Cocktail parties, backyard barbecue, fancy desserts – my fig lady handles them all with ease. I really relate to her; well, at least I like to think I do! So, this Friday Favorite celebrates my BFF, the beautiful and talented fig and my favorite way to party with her. Figs… Cheese… Flaky pastry… yep, it’s love.

My husband, M, and I have a friend [Chuck] who hosts wine parties monthly at his home. He’s been studying all the different varietals and wine-making regions in the world and has amassed an obscene amount of knowledge! Each month he focuses on a different theme, such as type of wine, grape varietal or region and teaches us while we sip and munch. Um, yeah, you could say it’s pretty fabulous!

Everyone brings a dish, potluck style to go with the wine. So last time we had a wine night, I thought to myself, “Duh! What goes better with wine than figs and cheese?” I’ve made this simple rustic tart several times for cocktail parties and it’s always a hit. I think it’s because figs make you feel like royalty. Yep, I’m goin’ with that.

Fig, Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tart

www.barbaracooks.com

Servings: 12 • Size: 1 piece • Weight Watcher Points+: 2

Calories: 64 • Fat: 2g • Carbs: 10g • Fiber: 1g • Protein: 2g

Sugars: 3g • Sodium: 118g • Cholesterol: 2mg

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 medium figs*
• 6 sheets phyllo dough
• Oil mister or cooking spray
• 2 ounces soft goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tablespoon flavored balsamic vinegar**

*I used green Calmyrna figs for their color in this tart but you can use any variety of fresh fig

**Fig or orange flavored balsamic vinegar is particularly nice, but you can use regular balsamic vinegar if you don’t have flavored.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Cut the onion in half, peel and thinly slice. Add the olive oil and onions to the skillet at the same time. Sprinkle with the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Working quickly, lay out the phyllo dough one sheet at a time on the parchment paper, spraying in between each layer with the oil mister/cooking spray. Fold each edge over toward the center ½ inch and again so that it makes a rolled edge.

Spread the onions evenly over the phyllo dough. Thinly slice the figs and lay them out even on top of the onions. Crumble the cheese evenly on top and sprinkle the thyme and black pepper over the entire tart. Brush the edges with the egg white.

Bake 15 minutes until the edges are golden and the middle puffs up a little. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Cut into 12 pieces and serve warm.