Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese…Tart?

There are worse problems in the kitchen than making something that tastes amazing, but is very difficult to name. Like, for example, something that’s easy to name, but tastes terrible. Luckily, this fresh fig and goat cheese “tart” was the former.

I wanted to make some sort of crostata, or galette-type, free-form tart, which I’ve done successfully in the past (and have the video to prove it), but instead of using standard pie crust dough, I decided to try something a little more rustic, and savory, using spelt flour and olive oil.

I knew this would pair beautifully with the sweet fruit, and tangy cheese, but what I didn’t know, was that it would end up being way too crumbly, and pretty much useless as a tart crust. So, I crumbled it into the bottom of a shallow ramekin, and the rest is history.

As predicted, the combination of flavors really worked extraordinarily well, and the somewhat gritty texture of the “crust,” added to the interest. But, what the heck is this? I don’t think it’s a tart. An upside-down crumble? Sandy tart? I give up, but if you have some time to kill, I’d love to know what you would call this delicious accident. Semantics aside, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


For  the crust (makes enough for about 4 small tarts):
1 cup sprouted spelt flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 or 4 tbsp water, or enough to form a crumbly dough

For one “tart:”
about 1/3 cup “crust” mixture
2 ounces creamy fresh goat cheese
1 black mission fig, sliced
tiny pinch of salt
very tiny pinch of cayenne
1 tbsp white sugar
spring of fresh lemon thyme

23 comments:

Lisa from Indiana said...

Oh my that looks great!

Would you consider doing a tutorial on how to decide what temp to cook things at? This was an experiment for you. How did you decide to cook it at 425 degrees?

Thanks!

Hannah Lee said...

An open faced crumble/buckle?

Angela said...

This is brilliant. Why did you decide to use spelt flour?

Unknown said...

Figgy Cheese Bowl?

Unknown said...

"The Figet'about It"? :0)

carpediem said...

Savory Fig and goat cheesecake?

David said...

"Figgin' cheesey friggin' pie.

Unknown said...

Ron said.....
Keep the name the same just replace "tart" with "crisp"

Chuck said...

Obviously, it's spelt wrong...

Alandh said...

It's not really a tart or a flan - how about Fig & Cheese Fart?

cookinmom said...

Figgoat Tart!!!

Michele Cryan said...

Figuratively Tart

Billy MacKenzie said...

Fig and Goat Cheese [Spelt Séance]

Unknown said...

Frigtata?

Bogey Man said...

Chef John, Been a follower for a long time, but I think you've gone over the top with this one!

Yakuzalizard said...

Hello Chef...my Food Wish is Chicken Liver Parfait...thank you sir.

Anonymous said...

Figué Tart, my friend.

Unknown said...

Did this on pastry dough instead of making my own dough and it came out amazing!

Ven said...

Fig and Goat Cheese Crumble

Rant_Casey said...

Fig Tart. Or Fart, for short.

Jean_klem said...

How about a Fig and Goat Cheese Galette?

Unknown said...

upside down Fid and Cheese crumble or cobbler

Debbie said...

Fig and Goat cheese pizza