It's fig season! Easy gourmet appie recipe

Yesterday I was sent home from a dear friend's place with a purse full of fresh figs from the tree in her back yard (that's why I like to carry such a big purse - you never know when the product of someone's garden is going to need transportation to your kitchen). Yum!! There are few things I enjoy more than fresh figs.

I had a party to go to last night, and all I could think about were figs figs figs. So I did a little research online, and came across this recipe for "Elegant Fig Appetizers". Minimal ingredients, and it took all of 10 minutes to make as I was rushing to get party-pretty. It was absolutely delicious and a total hit. Thank you to Christine M on allrecipes.com for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 12 fresh figs, halved
• 4 ounces herbed goat cheese (chevre)
• 24 almonds
• 1 tablespoon honey (I used agave instead)
  
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven broiler for high heat.
2. Place the fig halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Top each half with about 1/2 teaspoon goat cheese. Place one almond on each, press to push the cheese slightly into each fig.
3. Broil the figs in the preheated oven until the cheese is soft and the almonds are turning a rich shade of brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the broiler and let cool for 5 minutes. Arrange the figs on a serving platter and drizzle with honey and balsamic vinegar. Serve warm.