Nourish: September Fruit of the Month — Apples

Skillet Cinnamon Apple & Fig Flatbread with Goat Cheese & Honey

Caramelized apples and jammy figs on a blistered crust with creamy goat cheese, a drizzle of honey, and a crack of black pepper — the savory-sweet flatbread that tastes like September.

15 Prep time

15 cook time

2-4 serves

The first cool evening of September always arrives like a reminder. Outside there's a light drizzle while the wind is blowing around the first leaves that have fallen off the tree branches. The kitchen gets warmer, the oven gets turned on, and suddenly everything you want to eat involves something caramelized and something creamy.

If you grew up with apple trees — or know someone who has them — you also know that September arrives with an abundance problem. My parents have multiple apple trees in their garden, and every year without fail, dozens of apples come in all at once. There is only so much applesauce you can make. Only so much freezer space. At some point you need a recipe that uses them quickly, tastes like you tried, and gets dinner on the table in under thirty minutes.

This flatbread is that recipe. Sweet apples cooked down with cinnamon until they're soft and golden, fresh figs pressed into goat cheese on a blistered crust, finished with honey and black pepper. It sits right at the intersection of caramelized and creamy — which is exactly where September cooking wants to be.

Ingredients

• For the flatbread base:
• 2 store-bought flatbreads or naan
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for brushing
• For the skillet apples:
• 2 medium apples (Honeycrisp or Braeburn), cored and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• For the toppings:
• 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
• 4–5 fresh figs, halved or quartered
• 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted
• 2 tbsp honey, for drizzling
• Fresh thyme leaves
• Cracked black pepper
• Flaky sea salt

Method

1. 1 Make the skillet apples: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apple slices, honey, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until the apples are soft, golden, and slightly caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. 2 Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) or heat a grill pan to medium-high.
3. 3 Brush each flatbread lightly with olive oil on both sides.
4. 4 If using the oven: Place flatbreads on a baking sheet. Scatter the goat cheese across each flatbread, then arrange the caramelized apples and fresh fig halves over the top. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are golden and the cheese is bubbling.
5. 5 If using a grill pan: Grill the flatbreads oil-side down for 2–3 minutes until grill marks form. Flip, quickly top with goat cheese, apples, figs, and walnuts, and cook for another 3–4 minutes with the lid on until the cheese softens.
6. 6 Remove from heat. Drizzle generously with honey, scatter fresh thyme leaves, and finish with flaky salt and a generous crack of black pepper.
7. 7 Slice and serve immediately.

Britt's note

Honeycrisp holds its shape well when cooked — avoid very soft apple varieties like McIntosh for this recipe.

If figs aren't available, sliced pears make a beautiful substitute.

A note for anyone who shares my mom's deeply held feelings about goat cheese — and she would like you to know those feelings are strong — Brie works just as beautifully here. Slice it thin, scatter it the same way, and the flatbread loses nothing. Give it a try and let me know which version you prefer.

Cook what's in season.

Nourish what you have.

Feed yourself the way you'd feed someone you love.

A deep breath in a beautiful life.

Talk soon.

— Britt