This recipe is infinitely adaptable and equally delicious with Stilton or other blue cheese (which is especially delicious with Madeira) or even cheddar, for those that don’t delight in goat or blue. If fig jam isn’t to hand you can use an alternative, just make sure it isn’t too sweet.
Ingredients
(makes 16)
- 1 packet of readymade puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tbsp fig conserve/jam
- 8-10 walnuts, broken into small pieces
- 200g soft goat's cheese (with a rind), cut into 0.5cm-thick discs
- 4 sprigs thyme, leaves only – plus more to garnish
- Runny honey, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C /200°C fan / Gas Mark 7. Cut out 16 circles of puff pastry using a cutter around the size of a jam jar lid (or you can use the rim of a wine glass).
- Make a firm indentation with a slightly smaller cutter/glass (around 2cm from the edge of the pastry circle). Transfer to an oiled or baking parchment-lined baking tray.
- Prick the centre with a fork and brush the pastry with beaten egg.
Spoon about half to one teaspoon of fig jam onto the inner circle of pastry. - Sprinkle on the walnut pieces and top with a disc of cheese.
Sprinkle over the thyme and some black pepper. - Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the cheese is melted.
- Serve on a slab/board sprinkled with more thyme leaves and drizzled with some runny honey.
Wine recommendations
A medium-sweet Madeira or Sherry will chime beautifully with the unctuous fig jam and moreish goats' cheese here.
>> Find more festive cheese recipes here
