fig olive tapenade

the first time i had fig olive tapenade was at an office party. it was purchased pre-made from gourmet garage. i slapped it on a mini croissant with an unknown cheese, and wow. tasty. so tasty that i went straight to gourmet garage after work to buy some. eventually, my addiction required learning how to make it. this recipe was the starting point. it's a great friend of bread and cheese. my favorite is focaccia with ricotta, but you can't go wrong with a croissant and goat cheese.

• 1/2 cup dried mission figs, stemmed and quartered
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 1/2 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• a few springs of thyme
• few Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

preparation:

1. bring the figs and water to a simmer in a small saucepan. simmer gently for 15minutes, until the figs are very soft. drain.
2. combine figs, olives, capers, garlic,mustard,lemon juice, and thyme in the bowl of a food processor. pulse a few times to combine everything. drizzle in the olive oil while pulsing. don't go crazy and puree it into a paste. keep it a little chunky for some texture. season with salt and pepper to taste.

makes about 1 1/4cups