Fig Tarte Tatin With Blue Cheese And Walnuts Recipes

FIG & BLUE CHEESE TART

Steps:

• First make the pastry. Tip the flours into a food processor with ½ tsp salt and the diced butter. Pulse until you can't feel any lumps, then tip in the walnuts. Mix the egg yolks with 3 tbsp cold water, then dribble this into the machine while you pulse again until the pastry comes together. Tip the pastry out onto a floured surface, lightly bring it together into a ball, then roll out and line a deep 20-23cm tart tin with overhang. The pastry may crack, but just patch it back together, then cover and chill for 1 hr.
• To make the filling, melt the remaining butter in a large pan, then add the shallots and soften for 10-15 mins, until golden and squishy. Stir in the thyme for 1 min, then remove from the heat. Beat the eggs in a jug with the crème fraîche and cream. Crumble in the cheese and season with pepper and a small amount of salt.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Blind bake the pastry for 20 mins, remove the baking beans and paper, then bake for a further 15-20 mins until golden and sandy. Reduce the oven temp to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Add the cooled onions to the cream mixture and pour into the case. Sit the fig halves on top, cut side up, sprinkle with some more thyme and bake on the middle shelf for 1 hr-1hr 10 mins until the tart is browning and has a slight wobble - the cheese middle will firm up on sitting. Cool for about 15-20 mins, then remove from tin and serve with a green salad.

FIG TART WITH BACON AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the puff pastry out on a floured work surface to a rectangle about 12-by-10 1/2 -inches. Transfer the pastry to the prepared baking sheet. With the tines of a fork, dock a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the sheet and dock the center of the sheet a few times as well; this will prevent the dough from rising as it cooks. Spread the fig jam evenly over the pastry, leaving a small border around the edge of the pastry. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the border is puffed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• In the meantime, cook the bacon in a saute pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• In a mixing bowl, add the olive oil then whisk in the vinegar and mustard. Add the arugula to the bowl and toss to fully coat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool. Finish by topping the tart with the arugula and sprinkling it with the crisped bacon, blue cheese and the fresh figs if using.

FIG TARTE TATIN WITH BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Roll out the pastry thinly and cut out four 15cm circles. Perforate all over with a fork and chill until required. Trim the stems from the figs, then halve vertically. Heat the water, honey, vinegar and thyme in a saucepan, and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Add the figs and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring often, until the figs are glazed and about 3 tbsp of the liquid remains. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Divide the figs evenly between four 12cm ovenproof blini pans. Place cut side down, drizzling with any remaining liquid, and top with half of the blue cheese. Place a pastry circle on each, tucking in the edges. Place the pans on an oven tray and bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed. Remove from the oven and leave for a few minutes, then invert each one onto a flat plate. Top with rocket - if using - the remaining cheese and the walnuts, drizzle with olive oil and season with black pepper.

BAKED BLUE CHEESE WITH FIGS & WALNUTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut a cross in the tops of the figs nearly, but not quite, all the way down to the bottom, and pinch the bases. Sit in a baking dish or roasting tin (big enough so the figs can sit in a single layer with the whole cheese) cut-side up, but don't put the cheese in yet.
• Mix together the vinegar and wine or grape juice with some seasoning, and pour all over the figs. Scatter over the walnuts and thyme. Finally, drizzle over the honey. Bake for 15-20 mins until the figs start to become soft and sticky.
• Tuck the whole cheese in among the figs and put back in the oven for a final 5 mins. Lift the dish straight to the table and serve with lots of crusty bread to scoop up the molten cheese.

FIG TART WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS, ROSEMARY AND STILTON

Steps:

• In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil. Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Stir in the onions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.
• Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs. Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.
• Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.