Few things sit better on the effort : reward curve than a puff pastry tart. They’re always super easy and quick to make, and never less than delicious. Perhaps on account of the butter content of the pastry.
This one’s doubly delicious, though. Because as well as all that butter, there’s loads of brilliant Stilton, which melts and bubbles and in some parts browns, and plenty of sweet figs, which roast and caramelise and turn almost jam-like as they wait for the pastry to golden and puff around them.
Top with walnuts for texture, and (once cooked) fresh, peppery rocket plus a few more chunks of cheese, and you are on to a win. Great for lunch (at home or packed away for a picnic), a light supper, as part of a buffet or even chopped up and passed round as a party snack.
Recipe below.
Stilton, fig and rocket puff pastry tart
- 320g pack ready made puff pastry
- 2 tablespoons milk (anything but skimmed)
- 150g Stilton
- 3 large figs
- 20g walnuts
- Handful of rocket
Pre heat your oven to 210C.
On a clean, floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle with a thickness of 3-4 mm (if not already rolled). Put the pastry on a baking tray. With the back of a knife, score a line 2cm from the edge, all the way round the rectangle. This helps to encourage the outside of your tart to raise up, forming a border. Don’t cut through the pastry.
Brush the border with a little milk.
Divide your cheese into roughly 40g, 80g and 30g pieces. Grate the 40g block evenly over the middle of the pastry – ideally with a fine microplane.
Slice the fig into 3-4cm thick rounds, from tip to base. Arrange these evenly over the cheese base. Crumble the 80g block of cheese around the figs and then (if you’re using them) crumble the walnuts over the tart, breaking them into 3-4 pieces each time.
Put the tart in the oven for 25 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the tart and brush the edges with milk again – it’ll help them turn golden – then put it back in the oven, turning the temperature down to 190C for the remainder of the cooking time.
Once out, let cool a few minutes. If the middle has risen, give it a quick stab with the tip of a sharp knife to let the air escape. After 5-10 minutes, loosen the tart from the tray with a palette knife or similar, then slide it on to a chopping board. Sprinkle a good handful of rocket over the top and, oh go on then, crumble the remainder of that award winning Stilton over the top.
Serve whilst still warm.
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