Fig Rumaki and Beef Fillets

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Chef: Jim Shirley
Chef’s Narrative:

Our old house in Gulf Breeze, like many older Southern homes, has a fig tree in a corner of the yard. When summer arrives, you race the mockingbirds and blue jays to the ripe fruit. One summer my brother was the early bird, and he showed up with a basketful of nice-looking fruit. His only request was that I “throw together something for me and my friends, using the figs.” That’s my brother’s way of saying “make sure it has bacon, cheese and beef, too.” So here’s a twist on the old-school hors d’oeuvre rumaki. Substitute figs for water chestnuts, and toss on the grill with some fillets stuffed with Alabama goat cheese (made by Fromagerie Belle Chevre). Grab a bottle of Titus Cabernet Sauvignon, and you’re off to the races. And remember: Fresh figs don’t count in carb calculations as long as they are from your own tree.

Ingredients:

Fig Rumaki and Beef Fillets 4 fillets of beef about 1½-inches thick 4 ounces Alabama goat cheese 8 long sprigs rosemary, plus short pieces 16 strips bacon, cooked but still soft 32 basil leaves 2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced and grilled 32 fresh-picked figs 1 bottle Titus Cabernet Sauvignon Steak Rub 2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon ground rosemary 1 tablespoon celery salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 2 tablespoons onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne powder 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Instructions:

Stir the steak-rub spices together thoroughly. Mix the goat cheese with a teaspoon of the rub, cut small slits in the fillets, and stuff the cheese in. Close the slits with rosemary twigs. Rub the steaks with spices, then slap them on the grill till they reach the color you favor. (About 3 minutes a side on a hot grill works for me.) Lay a basil leaf and a portobello slice on ½ strip of bacon, and wrap around a fig. Skewer with a rosemary sprig. Do this 4 times per sprig. Chuck the skewers on the grill and cook about 2 minutes per side. Pour a glass of wine for everybody, and serve the steaks with the skewers on top. You’ll be happy that you beat the birds to the figs.

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