Fig and Gorgonzola Tart: I am a passionate runner, albeit a prolonged one. I love how it makes my brain fizz, and I write the most wonderful recipes while I’m running, sadly often to find out, with the help of Google, that someone else has also had a similar idea. Of course, ideas are constantly being updated, changed, fused or inspired, which is half the fun of creating recipes.
My brain was particularly active because I had two big bags of figs, which I was trying to incorporate into as many recipes as possible—baked, pickled, or roasted!
Make Fig Cheese Toasties, Roast with Prosciutto, Pickle or add to Cakes.
It’s a short season, so if you are lucky enough to have a fig tree or a friend with a fig tree, add them to everything you can. Due to the scorching weather, they are tiny but still so tasty this year. Make dainty cheese toasties as antipasti, roast and toss with prosciutto and mozzarella, add to cakes, pickle them, add as a topping on focaccia with feta or bake in a tart.
It is sumptuous but quite rich, so you only need a small slice, maybe with a big green salad and balsamic dressing.
Easy Spelt Pastry
I’m all for the quick fix, but I don’t like pre-made pastry – this recipe pulls together in 5 minutes and tastes so much better, even if you don’t have a food processor. It has a little wholemeal spelt flour to give it a slightly nutty taste without making it too heavy. The creamy base is infused with cardamom and rosemary, poured over the onions and then topped with figs and cheese. I’ve used gorgonzola because I had it in the fridge, but any blue cheese would work well. If it is strong, adjust the quantity accordingly so it doesn’t overpower the flavours. Goat cheese is another excellent combination.
Remember to bake it blind, if only for 10 minutes, so the base is crisp. The tart only needs about 20 minutes. Keep the pasty thin so it complements and doesn’t dominate the Fig and Gorgonzola filling.
If you’re in a baking mood, try the Cheesy Leek Tart or Wild Asparagus Quiche recipe or visit the baking section for inspiration.
Fig and Gorgonzola Tart
Ingredients
Tart filling
- 1 large yellow onion finely sliced
- 30 g butter
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 2 small sprigs rosemary
- 30 ml olive oil
- pinch brown sugar
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar white wine vinegar is good too
- 120 ml low fat cream
- 1 large egg
- 40 g gorgonzola cut into small cubes or crumbled any creamy cheese is good including stilton or goats cheese
- 100 g figs cut into small quarters
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Shortcrust Pastry
- 120 g all purpose flour
- 45 g wholemeal spelt flour or you could use wholemeal flour or 100% all purpose
- generous pinch salt
- 90 g butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp ice cold water
Instructions
Pastry
- Put the flours and salt into food processor and quickly whizz to mix.
- Add the butter, whizz again until you have fine breadcrumbs.
- Mix the egg with a couple of teaspoons of cold water, add to the flour and mix until it just combines. Add a little more cold water if it does not come together. Wrap with cling film and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the onions.
Tart Filling
- On the lowest heat possible, heat the butter and oil, soon as it has melted add the onions and pinch of sugar. Gently cook until caramelised (20-30mins). The secret to soft caramalised onions is patience; give them time to caramalise slowly. When you are happy with the onions, add the white balsamic and continue heating just unti it evapourates. Set aside.
- Roll out the pastry and line a 23cm tart tin. Keep it as thin as you can. Try to handle as little as possible, if it breaks, tear off a piece of extra pastry and patch it and mould it gently into place with your hands. Pinch the edges so they are neat. Bake blind for 10 mins or until just golden.
- MIx the egg, cream, pinch salt, good grinding of black pepper, rosemary needles and cardamon.
- Line your tart with the onion mixture and pour over the cream and egg mixture. Add the cheese and lastly decorate with the figs
- Bake at 180°c for 25 minutes. Check to make sure it is not cooking to quickly and cover with foil if necessary.
- Decorate with rosemary needles. Serve hot or cold with a peppery salad.
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