I have been making this recipe for over 20 years and I think it is still one of my favorites for the holidays!

For crust
1 cup finely ground wheat crackers such as Wheat Thins
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden, cooled, and ground fine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For filling
1 1/4 pounds cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mascarpone or sour cream
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups prepared basil pesto
2 pounds firm-ripe fresh figs (about 16 large), 1 pound cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices-if out of season use dried.
1/2 cup Bellisari's Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread
1 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
Accompaniment: baguettes cut diagonally into thin slices and toasted lightly

Directions:

To Make crust
Preheat oven to 325° F. and butter a 10-inch springform pan. In a bowl with a fork stir together crust ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Press mixture into bottom of pan and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

To Make filling
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together filling ingredients and salt and pepper to taste until very smooth. Assemble torte Pour half of filling into crust. Drop dollops of pesto over filling and spread carefully to form an even topping. (Some filling may show through.) Top pesto layer with half of fig slices, overlapping them slightly, and pour remaining filling over figs, spreading evenly. Bake torte in middle of oven 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until top is golden brown and set. Cool torte in pan on a rack (filling will deflate slightly). Chill torte, covered loosely, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

In a small saucepan stir together Bellisari's Blistered jalapeno Fig Spread and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Remove pan from heat and cool mixture. Stir in salt to taste. Slice remaining figs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side. Spread torte with preserves mixture, leaving a 1/4-inch border, and top decoratively with remaining fig slices or frozen sugared fruit. With 2 large metal spatulas transfer torte to a serving plate.

Serve torte at room temperature to spread on toasts.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Ready-made flatbread

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ Jar of Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot and Black Garlic Spread

4 oz. Brie Cheese, Sliced

1 Small Pear-Thinly sliced

2 Tbsp of Fresh Sage

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Brush Flatbread with olive oil. Spread Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread over flatbread, top with thinly sliced brie and pears. Put in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and top with fresh sage. Cook for 2 more minutes and enjoy!

Yields 2 ½ dozen

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together flour, rosemary and salt. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gather dough into two balls. Roll each dough ball flat (to about 1/4-inch) between two pieces of parchment paper; refrigerate for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the dough with a tree-shaped cookie cutter, or other desired cookie cutter shape. Transfer cut-outs to the prepared sheets; re-roll scraps and cut as many shapes as possible. Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Do not allow cookies to brown.) Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

We close our week of comfort food delights with a dish as comforting as they come - Big Sal's Meatloaf. This take on the traditional dish will hit every taste bud available. Convenient, delicious and comforting. Enjoy.