This fig, thyme and blue cheese galette is a delicious recipe that perfectly balances sweet and savoury.
Cenk Sönmezsoy has done it again with this delicious sweet and savoury fig, thyme and blue cheese galette that is sure to be a winner amongst your guests. Read where he got his inspiration from below.
Fig, thyme and blue cheese galette
The inspiration for this galette was a fruit plate my parents used to prepare for me when I was a child. At the start of fall, when the fig and fresh walnut seasons intersect, my mom would crack open walnuts and peel off their skins, then my father would stuff them into the season’s ripest figs and drizzle them with a little honey before bringing them to my room. What took them thirty minutes to prepare would be gone in thirty seconds.
This is a grown-up galette version of that fruit plate, with the addition of a silky blue cheese filling that takes three minutes to prepare. Delicate, newly harvested walnuts get lost among the strong flavors, so there’s no need to seek them out for this recipe. A drizzle of thyme honey at the last minute accentuates the fresh thyme and binds the salty and sweet elements. Being both sweet and savory, this galette can stand in for both the cheese and the dessert course at the end of a meal. Serves 8 to 10 Ingredients: For the crust:
- 17 ounces (480 grams) Flaky Pie Dough (store bought or with the recipe from The Artful Baker), rolled out as a 13-inch (33-cm) galette dough and chilled
For the filling:
- 4.2 ounces (120 grams) full-fat cream cheese
- 2.1 ounces (60 grams) Roquefort or Danish blue cheese
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) heavy cream
- 1.1 pounds (500 grams; about 5 medium) fresh black figs
- ½ cup (45 grams) walnut halves
- 3 tablespoons (60 grams) thyme honey or other mild-flavored honey
- 2 tablespoons (2 grams) loosely packed fresh thyme leaves (10 to 15 medium sprigs)
Method:
- Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Peel away the plastic wrap and top parchment sheet from the chilled dough. Flute the edges of the dough by using your index finger to push it inward about ¾ inch (2 cm) all around, spacing the flutes about ¾ inch (2 cm) apart. Lay the parchment paper back on top. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil twice the size of the dough, fold it in half and place it over the parchment. While pressing down on the center with your palm, pull up the sides of the foil about 1 inch (2.5 cm) to create a raised rim just inside the fluted edge. Fill the foil with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake the crust for 25 minutes. Lift out the parchment, foil, and pie weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake until it is golden, about 15 minutes.
- Slide the crust onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you won’t be serving the galette until later in the day, once cooled, slide the crust onto a serving plate, cover with plastic wrap, and keep at room temperature until assembly.
- Shortly before serving, make the filling and assemble the galette. In a medium bowl, puree the cream cheese, Roquefort, and cream with an immersion blender (or in a food processor fitted with a metal blade) until smooth.
- Slide the baked crust onto a serving plate and scrape the filling into the center of the crust. Spread the filing evenly over the crust with a small offset spatula, leaving a 1-inch (2.5-cm) border around the edge.
- Trim away the stem ends of the figs and quarter the figs lengthwise (top to bottom). Arrange the fig pieces over the filling in two concentric circles with the stem ends all facing the same direction. Break the walnut halves into large pieces and scatter them between the figs. Drizzle the honey over the filling. Sprinkle the thyme leaves evenly over the filling, and serve.
Storage:
The galette should be served shortly after it is made, as with time the filling will cause the crust to soften. To make ahead, keep the components separate and assemble the galette just before serving.
Recipe from The Artful Baker: Extraordinary Desserts From an Obsessive Home Bakerby Cenk Sönmezsoy (Abrams, £40)
