I am a fig fanatic. After the jams and preserves I stock up on every year, I turn to other fig delights, like this packed-with-flavor fig galette. The galette is the perfect vehicle for summer produce, it is simple to put together for a lot of payoff. And to be honest, I love the rustic, hand-formed appearance of pastry just cradling fresh summer farmers market finds. It has that feel of French country farmhouse, like I just picked the figs and wandered into my beautiful, ancient kitchen and whipped up a magnificent offering. I do not have an ancient kitchen in a French country farmhouse, but a girl can dream. I have served this on a pottery platter and straight from a wooden board, both the great effect. I even think simply sliding the galette on its baking parchment, lightly golden from the oven, enhances that homey look (and makes cleanup a breeze).
This could not be simpler to make but wow, do you get bang for your buck. I happily use a ready rolled pie crust from the refrigerated case, but feel free to make your own. The tangy bite of blue cheese mellowed with goat cheese with the sweet stickiness of fresh figs is a flavor powerhouse. I love woodsy marjoram, but oregano or thyme will work just as well. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar sets it all off nicely. I like to reduce it to a viscous syrup, but straight from the bottle works just as well, even a purchased “balsamic glaze” works, just make sure you go for quality when using it straight up.
Ingredients
1 pastry crust, ready rolled or homemade
4 ounces goat cheese
4 ounces blue cheese
2 Tablespoons crème fraiche
1 teaspoon chopped marjoram
1 pint of figs
flaky sea salt
½ cup balsamic vinegar
Directions
- Break up the goat cheese, blue cheese and place in the bowl of a small food processor. Add the crème fraiche, marjoram a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and pulse until well combined (you can also mash it all together in a bowl with a fork). Some chunky pieces of blue cheese are fine.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the crust on piece of parchment paper. Spread the cheese mixture in the center of the prepared crust, leaving a rim of about 2 inches. Cut the figs in half and arrange over the top of the cheese, cut side up. Fold edges of the crust up and over the outside of the filling and figs, pinching it in places to create a tight little nest for the filling. Carefully transfer the parchment paper to a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 20- 25 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is set. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
- While the galette is cooking, put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium high heat and cook until it is reduced by half and syrupy. Stir frequently and watch carefully so it does not scorch. Set aside to cool, the drizzle over the finished tart.
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