Roasted Figs With Goat Cheese And Honey

Ingredients:

8 ripe figs
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup soft goat cheese  (see note at bottom)
1/3 cup honey
4 pinches finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a knife, carefully trim any tough portion of the stems from each fig. Rub each fig all over with extra-virgin olive oil, then slice down through the stem about 3/4-inch. Make a second cut perpendicular to the first cut, so that you have an X-shaped cut in the top of each fig.
• Gently pry the edges apart and stuff each fig with about 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese. Place the figs upright on a baking sheet and bake until the figs are plump but have not burst, about 10 minutes.
• Drizzle the honey onto the serving plate and place the roasted figs on top of the honey. Sprinkle with a pinch of the chopped rosemary; drizzle more honey on top if desired. Serve immediately.

Note: To switch it up, you can omit the rosemary and top it with a small handful of pistachios (shells removed of course) or wrap the figs in prosciutto before baking.  Also, if you don't like goat cheese, you can substitute with mascarpone, chevre, or gorgonzola.