Fig, Hazelnut and Goat’s Cheese Tart

This tart is the perfect bring-along if you’re invited to dinner and want to contribute a dessert with some wow factor. The roasted crunchy hazelnuts intermingle beautifully with the soft sweetness of roasted figs and a tangy edge of creamy goat’s cheese. Yum! Figs are also considered an aphrodisiac.

Ingredients

• 55 g (2 oz) hazelnuts, roasted and chopped, plus extra to serve
• 2 sheets gluten-free shortcrust pastry
• 55 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
• 50 g (1 ¾ oz/ ⅓ cup) coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 150 g (5 ½ oz) goat’s cheese
• 10 figs, halved
• Rice malt syrup, for drizzling (optional)
• Rosemary sprigs, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor. Carefully lay the pastry sheets side by side on the prepared tray overlapping them slightly and pressing down on the join. Press around gently with a knife to mark a 2 cm (¾ inch) border without going all the way through. Fold the edges over along the score mark.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the butter, ground hazelnuts, 2 tablespoons of the coconut sugar, and the cinnamon and egg, working it into a paste using a fork. Spread over the pastry, keeping the border clear. Crumble half the goat’s cheese over the tart. Arrange the figs on top, then crumble over the remaining goat’s cheese and scatter over the extra hazelnuts. Sprinkle the remaining coconut sugar over the top.
4. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the pastry is puffy and golden. Serve topped with a drizzle of rice malt syrup and garnished with rosemary, if using.

Images and recipes from Supercharge your Life by Lee Holmes, Murdoch Books, RRP $35.00 Photography by Luisa Brimble.

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