Sweet & Savory Tart with Figs, Feta Cheese, Spring Onion, Rosemary & Thyme
Beautiful fresh figs- the first of the season and something to be celebrated! So I decided to try something a little unusual out with them, to go out on a limb and to try to make the most of them... and I think that maybe I managed to do just that!
I combined the rich sweetness and juiciness of the figs with salty and rich flavor of feta cheese, savory Spring onions and aromatic rosemary and thyme... and with some crunchy pine nuts and a touch of honey... set on a puff-pastry base... well! They really did become something a little special to say the least!
This was a creation based entirely on intuition, on balancing different flavors and textures and also based on prying that the result would be as impressive as the craziness of the endeavor... and thank goodness it was!
2 figs, 2 Spring onions, a half block of Feta cheese, a handful of pine nuts and a little rosemary and thyme... - these and a roll of puff pastry are you are going to need!
This was delicious hot, but would most definitely be much better served cold, when the Feta cheese and the herbs, the onion and the juices of the figs have combined and blended together... into something rich, satisfying and delicious!
So- turn on your oven and whilst it gets hot, crumble up the Feta cheese, add plenty of rosemary and thyme, the Spring onion finely chopped and plenty of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix together well and turn on the stove top... because, of course, we are going to be using our frying pan again! How else would we go about it?
Next, slice up the figs, nicely and thinly and set them to one side whilst we start building our tart together from the bottom upwards...
Cut a circle of pastry out for the base and then cut 2 strips of the remaining pastry to fortify the outer edges. Don't fuss over this too much- just lay it out around the perimeter and press it into the base using a fork.
Next, add the Feta cheese, onion and herbs to the pastry- making sure to keep the outer edges free.
Now, starting in the center, begin laying out slices from the middle- outwards, making sure to overlap them slightly and keep them looking fantastic...
Add another layer, filling-in any gaps along the way and then pop that frying pan onto the stove top and start getting this food-party started!
The time to transfer the tart from the stove to the oven, is when the butter in the pastry begins to melt and the edges begin to start puffing up just a little- you know by now that this is the best way to get the base crisp and to keep it from becoming soggy from the juices that develop in that topping... so into the oven it goes at 190° C for 10-15 minutes, until it come out looking golden and delicious!
A little something like this!
Allow to cool slightly, so that the juices that have accumulated in the figs and which has seeped into the feta cheese and then sprinkle generously with more fresh thyme.
Sweet, savory, complex and delicious! And simple at the same time! Take your taste buds on a trip and give this a try! Think anybody out there will be able to resist? No... I don't think so either! Enjoy!
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