I think my favourite smell is a fig leaf. There are a few heavy-leaved trees in parks and gardens near where I live. When I pass, I stop to scrunch then sniff the leaves; local bakers pick the leaves for custards and ice-creams.
Most years, the fruit never ripens, but this year, the figs look purple and jammy. I’ve not taken to stealing my neighbour’s spoils, so my figs came from the greengrocer, and I bought bags of them.
Lots were eaten squashed over ice-cream, some with burrata and basil. The others found their way into this galette, with a hazelnut pastry and a filling of capers and herby goat’s cheese, which will become a regular at home.
The less than perfect ones were squished on to toasts with onions and manchego, and were the simplest but best thing I have eaten in weeks – no need for modesty.
Fig, thyme and goat’s cheese galette (above)
I made this pretty tart last week with a couple of substantial salads for a summer lunch for six; it would serve four with just a side salad. Roasting the figs will bring out their jammy nature, so you can get away with using them slightly under- or overripe here.
Prep 30 min
Chill 30 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4-6
For the pastry
25g hazelnuts
225g white spelt flour or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
100g very cold butter, cut into cubes
2-3 tbsp ice-cold water
For the filling
300g soft goat’s cheese
1 tsp honey
1 small bunch thyme or oregano, leaves picked (reserve a handful for topping)
1 small bunch parsley, leaves and stalks roughly chopped
3 tbsp capers
Zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 figs, sliced
1 organic or free-range egg, beaten
50g hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
First, make the pastry. Put the hazelnuts into a food processor and blitz until you have fine crumbs, being careful not to go too far as they will come together and turn into a nut butter. Add the flour and half a teaspoon of flaky sea salt, then pulse a few times so everything is evenly mixed.
Add the butter and pulse again until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Then, with the motor running, add the ice-cold water a tablespoon at a time, until it comes together into a dough. Remove the dough from the processor, flatten into a rough disc, wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/gas 7. Put the goat’s cheese, honey, herbs, capers, a grind of black pepper, and the lemon zest and juice into the processor and blitz for a few seconds, until creamy and flecked with herbs and capers.
Once the pastry has chilled, remove it from the fridge. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and drizzle some olive oil into the centre of the paper. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a circle about 30cm wide and 1cm thick, turning it as you roll to make sure it stays round. Roll it up over the rolling pin and carefully transfer to the prepared baking tray.
Spread the goat’s cheese mixture on to the pastry, leaving a 4cm border to fold over later. Top with the figs, being generous as they’ll shrink in the oven slightly.
Next, fold the edges of the pastry over the figs to hold them in, brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg, then season all over with salt and pepper.
Bake for 50 minutes, until golden, scattering over the chopped hazelnuts in the last five minutes of cooking, to toast. Cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes, then top with the remaining herbs. Serve with lemon-dressed leaves and a few buttered new potatoes.
Fig, sweet onion and manchego toasts
Plump for the ripest figs you can here – ideally you want to be able to mash them on to the toast.
Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 4 toasts
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
4 slices sourdough, toasted
1 garlic clove, peeled
4 ripe figs, torn in half
1 small bunch tarragon, leaves picked
100g manchego
Heat a frying pan and, once hot, add a little olive oil, then the sliced onions, a good pinch of salt and lemon juice, and cook slowly on a medium heat for around 15 minutes, until soft and sweet.
When the onions are ready, toast the bread: I like to do this on a hot griddle. Cut the clove of garlic in half and rub the cut half over one side of each of the toasts, then drizzle with olive oil and season with a little salt.
Top with caramelised onions, squish on the torn figs, scatter over the tarragon, season with a little more salt and some black pepper, then shave over the manchego.
