2017 Michigan Wine and Small Plates: Fig, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Salad

The first time I made this, I had stumbled across an unexpected cache of fresh figs at the grocery store earlier that day. (I am utterly obsessed with fresh figs, and if I am ever persuaded to move to California it will only be so that I can have a fig tree in my yard like Edon Waycott apparently does). And it was just fantastic. Don’t get me wrong - dried figs are perfectly pleasant - but there’s nothing at all like a fresh fig to make me feel that I’m eating something opulent. I also cheated and used a vanilla fig balsamic vinegar that I had hanging out in my cupboard – salad dressings and easy marinades are the best excuse to keep a huge stash of vinegars around. The dressing was just fantastic, and I’m sad that I’ve used all the vinegar and that it was from a booth at an art fair a couple of years ago and I’ll probably never find it again.

The second time I made this, I used dried figs and followed the recipe for the dressing, and it was still really, really good. I always tend to overdo my salads (throw in more things!) but this basically 4 ingredients and it completely works. The third time I made this, I split the difference – dried figs and the last of my awesome vanilla fig balsamic vinegar. And you know what? It was good that way too.

The lesson here is that there is pretty much no way to make this not good, and you should resist the urge to throw in more vegetables. You should tinker around with different vinegars and make the dressing however you darn well please (salad dressing is literally the only thing I will 100% improvise on, because I have 12 kinds of vinegar and 7 kinds of oil in my pantry and I can). It looks pretty on the plate. It takes about 3 minutes to put together. It feels a little fancy and exotic, especially if you’re using fresh figs. If you have been an arugula hater in the past, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well the sharpness of the greens is tamed by the dressing. You’ll be so happy that you’re eating figs, because it makes you feel like you’re on vacation (possibly this is just me….).

Another great recipe from 100 Perfect Pairings by Jill Silverman Hough, which you should probably buy. 

Fig, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Salad

¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 dried or 6 fresh figs, timed and quartered (if you’re using dried, get the good i.e., expensive organic ones, they’re likely to be a little more tender)
12 cups loosely packed arugula
¾ cup crumbled goat cheese
¾ cup candied pecans

In a small bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients (through pepper), then whisk in the olive oil. (Or throw everything into a mason jar and shake it up really well, because that makes fewer dishes).

Combine the figs with about 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Dress the arugula to taste and divide onto individual plates. Divide the figs among the plates, and garnish with goat cheese and pecans. If you can’t find the pecans at the store and don’t have the time/energy/inclination to make your own, skip them. Or throw some toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds on there, but absolutely resist the urge to add anything else if (ahem) you’re always overdoing the salads.

About the wine: I paired this with 2 Lads 2015 Polar Vortex Rose. This is a blend of Syrah and Riesling, and it was quite a bit drier than the previous vintage while still being really fruit-forward; the watermelon and strawberry notes were a nice contrast to the sharpness of the greens and went well with the sweetness of the figs (because what wouldn’t? Figs are perfect).  I love rose and think it’s a great wine to serve when you don’t know what someone likes, as they can be light enough for the white wine drinkers and tasty enough for the red wine drinkers. Also rose practically screams “spring in here!” and we need a little bit of that. Anyone who thinks that all roses are too sweet has been traumatized by cheap White Zinfandel at some point in their wine-drinking past, and as a good friend you can help them move past this sad episode. They will thank you for it. You’re a good person.