• Dried Fig & Goat Cheese Galettes with Toasted
    Hazelnuts, Rosemary, Honey, & Black Pepper

    January 22, 2009

    Posted in: The Recipes

    These beautiful galettes are emblematic of the peculiar way in which earthy ingredients such as nuts and fruit can be thoughtfully combined to produce results of unmatched culinary eloquence. They are exceptionally well balanced: the tartness of the cheese is softened by a rosette of moist and succulent dried figs, which in turn wrestle rather delightfully with the pungency of rosemary. The nuttiness of  hazelnuts accentuates both base ingredients, while the discreet presence of honey plays up the sugar of the fruit. Pepper adds unexpected warmth and spice, heightening all of the other flavors. These galettes are best served warm or at room temperature, as an appetizer at a party, or as part of brunch or light lunch when paired with a balsamic dressed mesclun salad. They’re very suited to preceding an uncomplicated duck course.

    Ces petites tartes are very useful in eliciting cries of delight and respect from guests, for garnering rock-star status, and for winning over just about anyone. If you subscribe to the idea that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, this is one to make in the quest for seduction. The idea of a diminutive tart that perfectly straddles the line of sweet/savory might seem a bit more refined that the meat and potatoes approach to gastronomic love, but I assure you these will woo even the most surly male. I have proof of this. Please do not let the insignificant detail of my current solitude discourage your purest faith in my assessment; I have no stake in the art of deception!

    Ingredients, for 12 galettes:

    • 1 recipe galette dough, for two batches
    • 1 small log fresh goat cheese, such as chevron
    • 10-12 Turkish dried figs, as moist as you can possibly find them to be
    • 1 handful hazelnuts, skins on
    • 3 T finely chopped rosemary springs
    • Honey, clover if possible
    • 2 T butter, melted and cooled
    • Black pepper and salt

    Procedure:

    1. Make the dough the night before you intend to make these tarts, and chill overnight. In a rush, the dough can be made in the morning and baked off in the evening.
    2. Cut each batch of dough into 6ths, so that you have 12 balls of dough total.
    3. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a bit less than 1/8 inch thickness. Accomplish this by turning the dough about 25 degrees to the left (or right, as long as you’re consistent) in between each roll, and never roll over the edge of the dough and onto your working surface. Such rotation ensures that the dough is rolled out into an actual circle, as opposed to a misshapen shape. Preserving the lip of the dough facilitates handling and avoids sticking and disfiguration.
    4. Fold the edges of the dough over to form small galettes. Place on two baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour, so the dough can set up again. Remember always that it is imperative to keep the dough chilled, so that the butter in the dough does not melt. When the butter melts during baking it provides flaky tenderness to the dough. Overworked and overheated dough that isn’t flecked with firm butter will be soggier and more more brittle than desired. All actions when assembling a tart revolve around protecting this principle.
    5. In the meantime, run the goat cheese through a mini food prep. Once softened, add 1T of finely chopped rosemary, a pinch of salt, and a parsimonious dash of pepper (keeping in mind the majority of the pepper will be cracked over the tarts as a garnish.)
    6. Slice the dried figs medium-thinly, about 6 or 7 slices per fig, so that they’re just substantial enough to handle. Pull apart any slices that stick to themselves misshapenly, and reserve on layers of parchment paper.
    7. Prick the bottom of each galette with a fork several time, and then fill with beans, or the device of your choosing for blind baking. On a mid-lower rack, bake the galettes off in a 385 degree oven until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 20 to thirty minutes, rotating them in the oven when you determine them to be halfway cooked.
    8. When they come out of the oven, let them rest until warm or nearly cool.
    9. Sliver the hazelnuts in the meantime.
    10. Smooth about 1T goat cheese onto each galette. Sprinkle generously with hazelnuts, and brush the lips of the crust with melted butter. Place the tarts on the highest possible rack and broil on low for about 5 minutes, depending on your oven. The cheese should set up a bit, and the nuts should be toasted and fragrant, precariously near burning.
    11. Lay a rosette of dried fig slices over each galette, about the contents of one fig. Drizzle a 1.5 t honey over each tart in a crosshatch patter, then sprinkle with the remaining rosemary, and garnish with a few cracks of black pepper.

    Random Posts:

    • Leave A Comment

    Mail (will not be published) (required)