Desert Magnolia

Last week during a mid-week Trader Joe's run I saw figs. Fresh ones, two types, in their produce section. Seeing them made me remember a post-wedding brunch that some friends hosted. They'd served fresh, halved figs, accompanied by brie and honey..and I think port if you wanted that, or espresso. The delicate sweetness coupled with the cheese and honey? Amazing, a memory that even after all these years remains strong. So I had the flashback/memory, but passed the figs by. Until Saturday morning. I was pleased to see they had plenty left, and they looked lovely. At the same time I purchased figs, I also grabbed proscuitto. Which I then used to wrap the figs that I'd halved, then stuffed with feta...and then I broiled them. Result? Most delicious appetizer, enjoyed on patio, accompanied by a cranberry pomegranate martini while a soft rain fell. The smell of the rain and the wet earth, combined with the earthy delicate sweetness of the figs/feta/proscuitto? A.mazing. ...

I find the concept of terroir particularly compelling. Perhaps it's the hedonist in me. Perhaps it's the elemental tie to the earth. Perhaps I love this concept because it feels so antithetical to so much of what is happening today. It means, 'of the earth.' The longer definition, per terroir.france.com, ' A " terroir " is a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine. I love this definition. If you really know wines, then, you can taste not just the type of wine that you're sampling, but the terroir from which it originates. I, alas, do not pos...