Nothing makes us hungrier than the smell of our turkey roasting away in the oven on Thanksgiving day, along with our crispy lemon smashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, and fresh bread baking. That’s why we always try to have an appetizer handy that will keep everyone’s hunger from turning into hanger, so we can avoid any of those awkward family arguments fueled by not enough in the stomach and a little too much wine. As usual, we’re looking to Ina Garten, who just shared an elegant, effortless 5-minute Thanksgiving appetizer with Williams-Sonoma.
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This year, Garten is making Fig and Cheese Toasts for her Thanksgiving guests. They only take 5 minutes to cook, so you won’t have to abandon your Thanksgiving feast dishes in order to make them, and their balance of sweet, salty, fresh, and creamy flavors will satisfy everyone at the table. But they’re also nice and light, so no one’s appetite will be ruined. According to Garten, “They taste like grown-up cream cheese and jelly sandwiches.”
First, slice up a loaf of good country bread, and toast it up. A nice bread knife, like this one from Garten’s favorite Wüsthof brand, makes quick work of the slicing.
As soon as the bread comes out of the toaster, while it’s still warm, spread on the fig jam (Garten recommends Dalmatia fig spread), and microwave the cream cheese or goat cheese until it’s softened and easy to spread. Smear that on top of the fig to make the base of your toast.
Top that sweet and savory spread with fresh fig slices, salt and pepper, fresh microgreens, and a good syrupy balsamic vinegar. For extra fig flavor, try this California Mission Fig balsamic vinegar from Williams Sonoma.
The resulting fig and cheese toasts come together in minutes, and have a crispy, creamy, sweet and savory profile that pairs beautifully with wine. These toasts are so easy to make that they won’t derail the rest of your Thanksgiving cooking, but satisfying enough that they’ll stop you and your guests from panicking over how long the turkey is taking. The Barefoot Contessa scores, yet again!
Before you go, check out Ina Garten’s easy weeknight dinner recipes below:
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