Cindy "TheSweetNerd" Rodriguez Seriously?!? I hate LA traffic. The 5 freeway is THE WORST. The other day, while stuck in bumper-to-bumper, I started daydreaming of something much more cheery – DESSERT. This fig & cherry goat cheese beauty came together in my mind as I was inching along in misery. So, in honor of the overcrowded 5 freeway, I am calling this one the “5 Easy Steps Fig & Goat Cheese Tart.”
- Puff Pastry
- Egg Wash
- Cream Mixture and Honey Drizzle
- Fruit and Honey Drizzle (again)
- Sprinkle, Sugar and Bake
Roll out your puff pastry dough and egg wash a 1″ border all around the perimeter. Depending on which puff pastry brand you use (my favorites are Dufour and Pepperidge Farms), you may need to dust extra flour off the dough or literally remove the flour with a dry brush. If you do need to add flour, remember to just lightly sprinkle a little bit on top, then roll. You just want to release the folds, and then it is ready to use!
The goat cheese mixture and honey give this tart the sweet and sour combination that makes your taste buds go insane. Try not to go to heavy while layering on the goat cheese combination (otherwise it will be too heavy to rise while baking). I used a high quality varietal honey called Bee-Raw, which is real raw honey. It is incredible on its own and adds just the right amount of sweetness.
This delectable filling is a mixture of goat cheese, confectioners sugar, thyme leaves, eggs, ground almonds, and honey.
Next, it’s time to decide which gorgeous fruit you fancy the most to place on top of the tart. You can use any fruit combination. I chose figs and cherries. They’re so sweet together – the perfect marriage with a fantastic color contrast. Drizzle with some more honey, pop on a few sprigs of thyme, and finish with demerara or sanding sugar. Voila!
Grab a bottle of wine, some friends, and slip into fig and cherry goat cheese heaven with this lovely tart. (Oh and yes, for your sanity and mine, let’s stay off the 5 freeway!)
Photos by: Maria Hedrick Photography
September 22, 2016 Puff Pastry 1Follow instructions on pastry box to properly thaw puff pastry. Roll out puff pastry dough and egg wash about a 1" border around the dough. (It's rare that you would need to dust the counter with flour as there should be enough flour already on the dough. The goal is to not stretch the dough too much, just enough to eliminate the crinkles.) Goat Cheese Layer 1Place the goat cheese in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of the confectioners sugar, orange zest, thyme, and three-fourths of the beaten eggs. Whisk until smooth and then stir in the ground almonds. Mix until you get a smooth consistency. Assembly 1Spread the goat cheese mixture on top, leaving a border of about 2/3 inch. 2Next, brush the goat cheese layer with high quality honey. 3For the fruit layering, place cherry and figs on top of the mixture, placing them cut-side up and slightly overlapping, as they will shrink when cooking. Brush the remaining egg over the border. Sprinkle the superfine sugar over the figs, cover the tart with aluminum foil, and set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes. 4Remove the foil and place the tart in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until the figs are caramelized and the base is golden brown. Glaze 1Whisk the remaining confectioners sugar with lemon juice. You want a thick spreadable icing, so add a bit of juice or confectioners sugar as needed. Remove the tart from the oven and use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the figs and cherries. Sprinkle with thyme and eat warm or at room temperature.
Simple Fig & Cherry Goat Cheese Tart
Directions
LET’S BAKE TOGETHER!
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stupid traffic! that’s why i hate driving into nyc sometimes. it can take 20 mins or 2.5 hours to go 15 miles. no wonder you were dreaming of dessert. you had me at figs, cherries and wine!