figs and shallots

What I love, love , love:
when at the farmers market, I find piles of fresh shallots from Dirty Girl farms.meaning, now.
when my fig tree in the backyard delivers its bounty of luscious figs.(I had to harvest them just in time before the couple of squirrels got to them(.... I supply them with bread and cheese crusts, pine nuts etc to fill them up)

Shallots are the base of many French delicacies.raw in kicky vinaigrettes( without the bite or tears from onions, or the sharpness and lasting bad breath of garlic), sauteed in butter as the start of many unique sauces:, sauce gribiche, or bearnaise.... or for a beurre blanc, my favorite where the shallots are reduced with a little vinegar before the addition of butter, that emulsify into a unctuous,out of this world...cloud of deliciousness.

Fall salad for 2:
2 little gems lettuce ( or heart of romaine)
1 anjou pear peeled and sliced
1 small pomegranate ( cut a quarter of it and remove seeds)
fresh goat cheese
1 shallot ( I use 1 teaspoon of minced shallot)
sherry vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
dijon mustard


make your vinaigrette by sprinkling your salt and vinegar in your bowl, add a tablespoon of sherry vinegar and toss, it will help dissolve the salt, add minced shallot and 3 TBsp of olive oil and a dash of mustard.whisk.
add your other elements and top with the goat cheese with a dash of freshly ground pepper.