Hello GS readers! (Or to follow the theme of Kristy’s typical and adorable greetings, hello my sweet little figlets!) My name is Amanda and I blog over at Once Upon a Recipe . I was completely tickled when Kristy asked me to do a guest post for her, as I simply adore her and this little space of deliciousness that she has created. Her focus on local, fresh, and quality ingredients, along with her humor and wit keep me coming back for more. Not to mention, she’s an Alberta gal, like me! Clearly she is the smarter one, as she hightailed it out of Alberta to beautiful Victoria when she had the chance. 🙂
Following my gleeful acceptance of Kristy’s offer, I took the task of choosing a recipe very seriously. In case you haven’t noticed, Kristy routinely shares beautiful and unique recipes, so I knew I had to bring something pretty darn spectacular to the table. And friends, I think I succeeded.
Fine Cooking is one of my favorite food magazines. I often thumb through it when standing in line at the grocery store, but rarely purchase it, as I’d rather spend the whopping $8 on something edible, like extra fancy greek yogurt, or organic bananas (they taste way better, seriously), or maybe even a good quality dark chocolate bar. But a couple of weeks ago, I was flipping through the August/September 2012 issue, and came across an article on fresh figs. While I’ve enjoyed dried figs on many occasions (typically accompanied by a glass of red wine, some nice cheese, and salty olives), I realized that I had never tried figs in their fresh form. And I decided that I needed to change that. Immediately!
It was as though the foodie gods were looking down on me just then, for when I turned the page, I came across a recipe, using fresh figs! Clearly it was a sign, and not being one to ignore signs from the universe (especially when food is involved), I forked over the eight bones and took a copy of Fine Cooking home with me. Best. Idea. Ever. The foodie gods weren’t done with me yet. Days later, when I was perusing one of the markets in my ‘hood, there was a display of these beautiful fresh figs, and I wasted no time grabbing an entire flat of them.
But before I jump into the recipe, let me tell you a little bit about the star ingredient – figs! Figs grow abundantly in warm climates – California, Alabama, Texas, and Georgia. And they are in season right now, from mid-August through to September! Figs do not ripen once plucked from the tree, so they are best when picked and sold at their peak ripeness. Having never bought fresh figs before, I had to research what to look for when choosing figs. A ripe fig will feel soft but not squishy, have a sweet smell, and have fairly unblemished skin. They will last for a couple of days when kept on your kitchen counter, but you can pop them into the fridge to preserve them for a few extra days. Fresh figs taste absolutely delicious when eaten as they are, but they also pair beautifully with nuts, cheese, honey, and wine. By golly, I love all of those things!
So dear friends, without further adieu, I bring you a delightful recipe for a goat cheese tart with honey and figs. It is a breeze to prepare and a delight to eat. I don’t doubt that it would be a lovely and welcome addition to the last of the summer barbecues and potlucks. Or, you may also choose to enjoy it like I did – for breakfast with a steaming cup of tea. Oh, the life of a food blogger. But hey, I’m not complaining.
Goat Cheese Tart with Honey & Figs
Yield 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge (half of a 397g package)
- 4 oz. goat cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup honey, divided
- 6-8 ripe, fresh figs, stemmed and quartered lengthwise
- 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Good quality sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees (F).
- Roll the sheet of puff pastry out on a floured surface to create a 10-inch square.
- Prick all over with a fork. Make a 3/4-inch border on all sides by pressing the edge of a ruler into the pastry to make a mark.
- Fold the pastry over where you've marked to make a double-thick rim.
- Transfer the rolled out pastry to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the center is golden brown and puffed.
- Mix the goat cheese and 2 TBSP. of honey together and spread over the puffed pastry, staying inside the border.
- Arrange the figs on top of the goat cheese mixture, some facing up, others facing down.
- Sprinkle with the rosemary and sea salt. Bake for another 7-8 minutes, until the rim of the pastry is golden brown.
- Drizzle with the remaining honey and cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
If you are making this for a party or gathering, I highly recommend making two tarts so that you have plenty to go around.
Adapted from Amanda Schroeder Fine Cooking, Aug./Sept. 2012 issue
This tart has such a mesmerizing combination of flavors and textures going on – from the flaky puffed pastry, to the creamy and sweet goat cheese, the juicy figs, and the hint of rosemary. It really is quite exquisite. Fine Cooking suggests trying this tart with other fresh fruit, such as apricots, pears, or strawberries when fresh figs aren’t available. I think it would be delightful with pears, but try it with figs if you can!A big thank you to Kristy for allowing me to pop by and share this with all of you! Happy eating!
PS. Have you ever tried fresh figs? What is your favorite fresh fig recipe?
Visit Amanda at her blog, check out her facebook page or Pinterest boards. Either way, she’s worth your while…
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
September 7, 2012 at 6:14 AMThanks for having me lady – what fun this was! 🙂
Kristy Lynn
September 7, 2012 at 8:50 PMthanks for doing it love – p.s. i ADORE this post! and what amazingly beautiful photographs you take! xo!
shutupandcook
September 7, 2012 at 11:16 PMHello there…lovely to meet you! I adore the ‘ol guest post approach because it lets us all get to know so many of the other fabulous food bloggers out there! Figs, goat cheese, and puff pastry…this literally couldn’t go wrong in my book. Maybe drizzled with a little balsamic reduction? YUM!
Kristy Lynn
September 11, 2012 at 11:06 AMabsolutely fabulous suggestion 🙂
Holli@scratchtreeouse
September 15, 2012 at 9:48 PMLove this! Fresh Figs grow on a couple trees in my neighborhood, and I just love to eat them straight off the tree or simple with cheese and nuts as a snack. Now, this tart gives me inspiration to integrate it into a meal my whole family might be willing to try!
Kristy Lynn
September 25, 2012 at 11:05 AMoh so JEALOUS! i wish i could find a tree full of em! i agree re cheese and nuts. always a good idea.