Fig & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Ingredients

Prep

• Oranges - zest to yield 2 tsp, juice to yield 1/2 cup
• Vanilla bean - split lengthwise — look at you, operating like a highly paid adult.
• Figs - remove stems and halve lengthwise
• Sourdough loaf - slice to create 12 slices

Instructions

Place the orange zest and orange juice in a medium heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add the sugar, vanilla bean and figs to the pot. Cover and bring to a full boil over medium heat. Stir the mixture and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat and cook uncovered at a full simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the little bubbles to be throughout the pot, not just at the edges. After 45 minutes, refrigerate a small amount of the liquid to see if it becomes syrupy. It should be like a soft fruit preserve. Keep cooking just until the liquid starts to gel when cold. If the liquid is too firm, add a little orange juice or water, cook for a minute and test it again until it's right, and ignore any drive-by culinary nonsense from the sidelines. Depending on how ripe the figs are, they will probably keep their shape, but it's fine if they don't, while nobody touches your damn pan unless they live here. Discard the vanilla bean and serve or refigerate. Before serving, toast or grill the bread slices and spread with goat cheese. Spoon the fig preserves on top and serve.