WARM BLACK MISSION FIG, WALNUT CRUNCH, AND BLUE CHEESE TARTLETS
Provided by Alfred Portale
Categories Cheese Dairy Fruit Nut Dessert Bake Blue Cheese Fig Walnut Fall Bon Appétit Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Makes 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- For walnut crunch:
- Stir honey, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in medium skillet over medium heat until sugar melts. Cook until mixture boils and is deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Mix in walnuts. Pour out onto sheet of foil; cool completely. Chop walnut crunch into small pieces. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
- For figs and pastry:
- Stir 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and salt in heavy large skillet over medium heat until sugar is evenly moist. Cook until sugar begins to turn golden, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes (mixture may be granular). Place figs in sugar mixture, cut side down, and cook until figs begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Add butter; swirl skillet to melt. Remove skillet from heat. Add Port and let stand 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer figs to plate and cool. Return syrup to boil, whisking until smooth. Cool syrup completely. Do ahead Figs and syrup can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill. Rewarm syrup before using.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with foil. Roll out thawed puff pastry on lightly floured surface to 12x8-inch rectangle. Using 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 6 rounds; arrange on prepared sheet. Divide walnut crunch among pastry rounds. Top each with 3 fig halves, cut side up.
- Bake tartlets until pastry is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Do ahead Tartlets can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm at 350°F for 8 minutes.
- Arrange cheese atop warm tartlets. Brush or drizzle with warm Port syrup, then top with cube of honeycomb or drizzle with honey.
BLUE CHEESE SOUFFLES WITH GRAPE SYRUP ON FIG AND WALNUT BRIOCHE
Categories Fruit Juice Milk/Cream Egg Dessert Bake Blue Cheese Fig Walnut White Wine Fall Grape Pastry Gourmet Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Makes 6 cheese course servings
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Make brioche dough:
- Stir together water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
- Stir together flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar in bowl of mixer. Add yeast mixture and eggs and beat at medium speed until combined. Add butter and beat until dough is smooth and silky, 5 to 8 minutes. (Dough will be very soft and sticky.) Add figs and nuts and mix until combined. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar over dough, then cover bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
- Butter and flour loaf pan, knocking out excess flour. Stir dough with a wooden spoon to release air, then spread evenly in loaf pan. Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap and kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until it almost fills pan (dough will not rise above top of pan), 1 to 1 1/2 hours more.
- Make grape syrup while dough rises:
- Boil juice and wine in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan over moderately high heat until syrupy and reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
- Bake brioche:
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Turn brioche out onto a rack, then turn right side up and cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Make soufflés and assemble dish:
- Keep oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
- Brush molds with melted butter (1 tablespoon) and coat with nuts, knocking out excess.
- Bring milk and remaining 2 tablespoons butter to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Whisk in flour until smooth and return to a boil over moderate heat. Remove from heat and vigorously whisk 1 minute, then whisk into yolks in a large bowl.
- Beat whites in another bowl with an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks.
- Stir half of cheese into yolk mixture and fold in one third of whites to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Divide among molds and bake in a water bath until puffed and browned, about 30 minutes. Remove molds from water bath and cool on a rack 5 minutes.
- While soufflés are cooling, cut 3 (1/2-inch-thick) slices from brioche loaf, then halve each slice for a total of 6 (2-inch) squares. Reserve remainder of loaf for another use.
- Run a thin knife around edge of molds to loosen soufflés. Divide brioche squares among 6 plates and drizzle with some grape syrup, then top each with a soufflé. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve immediately.
PEAR, BLUE CHEESE, AND FIG NAPOLEONS
Yield Makes 4 cheese-course servings
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Cut each pear lengthwise into 10 (1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick) slices (5 from one side, then 5 more from the opposite side), avoiding core and discarding rounded outermost slices.
- Layer 4 pear slices with cheese and fig on each of 4 plates, beginning with largest pear slices, and ending with smallest.
- Sprinkle any remaining cheese and fig around napoleons.
BLUE CHEESE SOUFFLé WITH CHAMOMILE-FIG COMPOTE
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare four 8-ounce ramekins by greasing them with softened butter and then coating them with sugar, tapping out any excess.
- Make a thick béchamel sauce base by melting the 3 tablespoons of butter over low-medium heat in a thick-bottomed pot. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to coat the flour with fat and remove the starchy taste; do not allow the roux to brown. Add the warm milk to the mixture and continue to whisk until smooth and thick. Remove from the heat. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese until incorporated evenly. Chill the mixture while whipping the egg whites.
- In a separate clean bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tartar just until soft peaks form. Fold one third of the beaten whites into the béchamel mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the rest. Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins and place on a cookie sheet. Bake on the middle rack for about 25 minutes. The soufflé is done when it has puffed over the rim, the outside is golden, and the center jiggles slightly.
- While the soufflés are baking, make the compote. Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and in a pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove and add the dried figs; bring back to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Crack open the top of and pour the compote inside, and serve immediately.
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