Baked fig and goat cheese crostini with pancetta, and pecans is both savory and naturally sweet. An easy elegant appetizer recipe for any occasion.

Figs, are one of my favorite fruits but pretty hard to find when I want to make Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini. Due to their short growing season around here, if I see them at the farmer’s market I’ll grab as many as I think I can eat and the rest will be used for this recipe or a fig tart.
Most in my house don’t share this obsession for figs. They’re not very attractive and my gang kind of turns their noses at them, so I normally get them all to myself, until I made these for appetizers.
The natural sweetness from the figs combined with salty pancetta and goat cheese makes for a great crostini.
Fig appetizers made with fresh figs are not the type of appetizer you can coount on making because unless you have your own fig tree or live in California where 98% of all figs are grown, you never know whether they’ll be available. I was lucky to find these black mission figs at the grocery this week.
Figs are normally ripe in late summer to early fall.
Figs will not ripen off the tree and due to their fragile nature, they don’t ship that well.
These are best eaten at room temperature. You can eat them warm, but they are at their best once they’ve cooled.
To get that salty flavor you could also use bacon or prosciutto.
Since figs won’t ripen off the tree, you can store them in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days.
So when you do find fresh figs locally or in the grocery, keep this recipe on hand for an amazing fig appetizer.
What you’ll need for fig and goat cheese crostinis
How do you make goat cheese stuffed figs
Step 1: Slice a baguette into ¼ inch slices and brush both sides with melted butter. Place on one side of a baking sheet.
Step 2: In a small skillet cook the chopped pancetta until browned and remove to paper towel.
Step 3: Combine goat cheese, pancetta, pecans and fresh thyme.
Step 4: Cut figs in half and add the goat cheese mixture to the top. Place on the baking sheet with the bread and bake for 10-15 minutes until the bread is slightly toasted.
Step 5: Add a fig to each slice of toasted bread and drizzle with honey.
The pancetta adds a nice salty flavor which is enhanced by just a drizzle of honey over the top before serving. Sweet and salty is always a hit! Even though the figs are juicy from being baked, they do not make the toasted baguette soft. This makes them perfect for serving at parties.
More appetizers you’re going to love
- French croque monsieurs
- Mushrooms in puff pastry
- Sausage balls
- Bacon wrapped dates
- Tiny potato skins
- Spinach pinwheels
- Artichoke dip
- Sweet potato crostini
- Strawberry topped pretzels
- Bacon wrapped potatoes
- Peach salsa
Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta
- ¼ cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
- 12 fresh figs
- 24 baguette slices
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a skillet, cook the pancetta until crisp. Place on paper towels to absorb any excess fat and let cool. Chop into small pieces.
- Toast the pecans until very lightly golden brown. Remove and let cool. Chop into small pieces.
- In a bowl, combine the cooked pancetta, pecans, goat cheese, and thyme.
- Cut figs in half, removing stems. Press the back of a small spoon into the centers of the fig halves making a small indentation in each. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of pancetta mixture into each fig half.
- Place fig halves on one side of a foil lined baking sheet and baguette slices on the other half. Brush baguette slices with butter on both sides. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350º until baguette slices are toasted.
- Remove and place fig on baguette on serving dish and drizzle with honey.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can substitute bacon or prosciutto for the pancetta.
- Cut the baguette with a serrated knife into ¼ inch slices
- If figs are large, cut them into thirds.
- These are best served at room temperature.
- They will stay fresh for several hours.
- These can be made ahead of time and just drizzle honey prior to serving.
- When choosing figs, look for ones that are slightly soft.
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