Goat Cheese and Green Fig Wonton Cups

Have you ever gone into a frenzy in a tableware store or on target.com, staring at cake trays and serving platters? I'd say it happens to me about once every two weeks. I start deciding which platters I want, what I would put on them, and who I would serve it to. I end up with a "small selection" of ten or so trays, which somehow are completely unmatched but that's alright.

And once I've made my list, I...don't get anything. See, if I were to actually give in to my love for oversized serving dishes, I think I would just have to move out on the street. My apartment can hardly handle the three serving plates I actually have, so I'm thinking that four-tiered turquoise cake platter wouldn't make it in. Well, it would, but it would also be replacing my bed/couch. Then again, would I rather sleep on the floor if it means having a flurry of cake stands? I might, actually--you already know I'm a little strange. Plus, that would mean more space for my guests, for those serving platter-filled parties. Nobody would be able to sit down, but I'm sure they'd be too busy jumping face first into my cookie dough fondues to mind. Before you start saying I have Oompa-Loompa scale culinary fantasies, I'll gladly confirm that I do. 

For now, though, I don't give in to any of them. Just wait and see until the day I get a 200 square meter loft in the center of Paris. Um...I forgot to mention my real estate fantasies too, didn't I?

Having a small apartment doesn't really keep me from having parties: standing in the middle of a small cookie-filled apartment isn't so bad for most people. This time around, I wanted to celebrate the beginning of May...well, no. I actually had a few ideas for little appetizers I really wanted to test and try on a dozen guinea pigs. Sorry, guys! 

One of these recipes came all of a sudden when I was back in Saint Dié, shopping in a newly-opened Turkish supermarket. I came across green figs in syrup, and it all came together in a flash: wonton cups filled with fresh, creamy goat cheese, green fig syrup, and pink peppercorns. I had never tasted this combination before, but somehow I just had a feeling it would taste pretty good.

Back in my Paris kitchen, I rounded up all the ingredients and went to work--not that there was much work involved, because this is pretty much the easiest recipe ever. I taste one of the finished products and was pretty pleased. But since this was right in the middle of getting ready for a party, I also had red bean dip, fudge, and dirt cake (I know, I'm not eight years old anymore, but still) to taste. So it was good, but I couldn't have enough to actually decide if I loved it or not. 

Enter my first guests, which I could label the hungry ones. There were thirty-four little wonton cups set out, and fifteen minutes later, they were all gone. I think they pretty much averaged nine or ten wonton cups per person, so I'll let that speak for itself.

 Wonton cups, pre-disappearing act.

I'll also let it speak for the fact that next time, I should make a couple hundred more. New serving plates, anyone?

Crispy Wonton Cups with Goat Cheese, Pink Peppercorns and Green Figs

makes 35 small wonton cups

1 package refrigerated or thawed frozen wonton wrappers
1 1/4 c. fresh goat cheese
1/4 to 1/3 c. green figs in syrup, chopped (syrup is included in the measurement)--this depends on how much sweetness you want
2 TB pink peppercorns, plus 1 TB for garnish
1 TS salt
1/2 TS pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. With a large round cookie cutter, cut wonton wrappers into rounds. Lightly brush one side of each wrapper with oil and place in a mini-muffin pan, pressing down to form a cup. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Let cool in pan or on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, mix goat cheese, 2 TB peppercorns,salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until use.

Note: Fill wonton cups the day they will be served--otherwise they might get a little soggy.

Spoon goat cheese mixture into cooled wonton cups. Using a very small spoon, top with green figs and syrup. Add one or two pink peppercorns as a garnish.

Delight in the contrast between the crunchy wonton, creamy cheese and figs, and the end pop of the peppercorns!