Bruschetta with figs, apple and cheese

Ingredients:

Bruschetta

• 6 dried figs, halved
• 0.5 cup simple sugar syrup (see recipe below)
• 2 tbsp. brandy
• 1/4 tbsp. chopped roasted hazelnuts
• 24 slices of baguette
• Olive oil to drizzle over the bread
• 0.5 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 large apple (Granny Smith or Braeburn), cut into 24 thin slices
• 1 piece (100 g) Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded into 24 pieces

Simple sugar syrup

• 0.5 cups of water
• 1 cup of sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the figs, sugar syrup, and brandy. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it steep for 10 minutes. Place the fig and hazelnut mixture in a food processor and pulse several times until smooth. Set aside.
3. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle each slice with 1 teaspoon of grated Pecorino Romano. Bake in the oven until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted and golden, about 7 minutes.
4. Top each slice of toast with 2 teaspoons of fig jam, an apple slice, and a shaving of Pecorino Romano cheese. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
   
   Simple sugar syrupCombine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool. Leftover sugar syrup can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.