Tart Crust (make your own): 1.5 hr // Filling: 15 min // Bake: 25 min
It’s a short season for figs (end August to September) and usually related to the end of summer in my mind but definitely worths it all the way especially for these ripe ones coming from the southern warmer climates, undoubtedly sweet like hell. As they ripen, their skin turns into a deep blue-black purplish colour and their flesh into blood-red colour, which makes a heavenly match for blue cheese (stilton, gorgonzola or any other blue), walnuts and a good sherry or matching red wine.
The tanginess, creaminess and nutty tones of blue cheeses are so beautifully paired with fig sweetness. Combine this with my addiction to tarts (one can tell from the frequency of my tart recipe posts) and you’ve got one delicious afternoon tea snack or an appetizer to start your dinner. This blue cheese fig tart is a recipe so impatiently anticipate to make and enjoy as much as possible especially knowing the ripen fig season is too small.
Well, tarts are a bit tricky especially when it comes to preparing a good crust...
But worry not! I’ve got you covered in this post, just make sure you read it before start making your crust. Remember, it is totally worth the time you'll spend on this, I guarantee it will 100% impress even your most demanding guests!
Substitutes
Cream cheese > Fresh goat’s cheese. A good swapping if you are going for more intense flavour and don’t really care about the extra calories. I am in favour of a light cream cheese as my main ingredient as it blends really well, balances the intensity of goat’s cheese and the calories too ;-) but I'm sure there are a few out there getting nuts about goat's cheese :-)
Ingredients
For the crust:
Check this post
For the filling:
6 ripe figs
1 onion, sliced
2 eggs
100g blue cheese (stilton, gorgonzola or Danish blue)
120g light cream cheese (or fresh soft goat cheese)
120g light Crème fraîche
80ml milk
30g cornflour (or plain flour)
25g unsalted butter
1 tsp dried (or finely chopped fresh) sage
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper
Method
Prepare the crust: read my how to make the perfect crust post to master your crust technique
While the crust is blind baking, melt the butter in a non-stick pan with the rosemary sprig and fry the onions in low heat for 5 min or until softened. Add the honey, cover with lid and fry for another 5-10 min until caramelised. Discard the rosemary and set aside.
Prepare the filling: in a big jug, crack the eggs and lightly beat. Add the rest of the ingredients, the cream cheese (or goat’s cheese), crème fraiche, 3/4 of the blue cheese and 3/4 of the caramelised onions (keep some for decoration), milk, cornflour, sage and season with salt and pepper. Mix until everything is blended.
Prepare the figs: peel the figs (ripe ones should peel easily), slice in discs and set aside.
Preheat the oven (if not already heated up from your crust baking) and pour the mixture from the bowl into the crust base. Decorate with fig discs, top with scattered remaining onions and blue cheese (photos below) and bake at 180c (160c fan) for 30-35 minutes or until the top is slightly brown and set.
Remove and let it cool down (around 10-15) minutes before cutting and serving.
This tart is UNDENIABLY looking handsome and will UNDOUBETLY impress your guests! Give it a go and let me know how it went ;-) Share your photos in the comments below.
Recommended Products
Below are my favourite authentic products I used to cook and shoot this recipe. If you can't see the icons and links, please deactivate your ad-blocker :-)
Shop the look: If you like the serving styling in my photos, here are some suggestions for products you can buy from Amazon and build similar dining sets of your own:
Anti-Stick Tart Tin with removable base: I totally suggest buying a non-stick tart tin with holes and a removable loose bottom which makes the crust so crispy and easier to detach and serve. I recommend this Kitchen Kraft product from Amazon which ticks all the boxes and I have been using it for ages which exactly proves its durability and quality: