This goats cheese tart is creamy and rich with a sweet fig topping and gorgeously crisp and flaky shortcrust pastry that's always a hit.
Ready in less than an hour, this goats cheese tart can be served warm or cold. It's hearty enough to be served as a main course, perhaps with new potatoes and some steamed green veg, or you could serve it for lunch with a little green salad.
If you've never made shortcrust pastry from scratch before, never fear. There are plenty of tips through the recipe to help you get brilliant results.
Shortcrust pastry is made with flour, fat, and water. The fat is usually in the form of butter, and the ratio of fat to flour is what gives shortcrust pastry its name - a high fat content is what gives it that distinctively flaky texture.
The shortcrust pastry for this tart is made by rubbing flour and cold butter together until you have a crumb, then cutting in a small amount of cold water to allow you to bring it together into a dough. You'll then use it to line your tin and blind bake (pre-cooking without filling).
To ensure plenty of flavour, you'll then sweat some chopped onions and spread them on the base of the case, then it's time for the goats cheese - and lots of it!
Goats cheese has a distinctive flavour and aroma that works so well in this tart and pairs well with the honeyed sweetness of the figs that site colourfully on top.
If you find the flavour goats cheese a little strong, you can swap half for another type of cheese - a brie or camembert could work well.
The custard for this tart is a very simple combination of eggs and double cream to ensure a rich final product. It's seasoned very simply with just a pinch of salt and pepper and a dash of dried parsley to bring some freshness and colour to the filling whilst ensuring the goats cheese hold its place as the star of the show.
This goats cheese tart is so easy to make and truly delicious. Here's the full recipe, complete with step-by-step photographs to help you get perfect results!
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 100 g (3.5 oz) salted butter cold and cubed
- 200 g (7.1 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 200 ml (6.8 floz) double cream
- 6 medium free range eggs
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 150 g (5.3 oz) goat’s cheese cut int pieces
- 5 figs halved
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
Make the pastry case
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan, 390F).
Put the flour and cold, cubed butter in a bowl.
Rub together (or pulse in a food processor) until you have a lump free crumb.
Add 2 tbsp cold water and cut it through with a round knife (or pulse the food processor) until the mixture clumps.
Gather the dough into a ball. If it's warm, wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a few centimetres wider than the tart tin.
Pick the pastry up with the rolling pin and lift it into the quiche tin, carefully easing into the corners and up the sides.
Trim the pastry so that it's level with the top of the tin.
Prick the base all over with a fork.
Line with baking paper.
Fill with baking beans, making sure to work them into the corners.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking beans.
Bake for a further 5 minutes until the base looks dry.
Make the filling
Heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat.
Add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Fry for 10-12 minutes until soft with a touch of colour.
Tip the onions into the base of the pastry case.
Scatter the goats cheese on top.
Put the eggs, cream, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper in a jug.
Whisk together and pour into the pastry case so it's about 1.5cm (half an inch) from the top.
Top with the halved figs, cut side up.
Carefully add more filling if there's room to do so without risking it overflowing - it's ok if you don't use it all.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then once cool enough to handle, carefully release from the tin.
Serve warm or cold.
Enjoy!
Print this Goats Cheese Tart recipe
Goats Cheese Tart
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 100 g (3.5 oz) salted butter cold and cubed
- 200 g (7.1 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 200 ml (6.8 floz) double cream
- 6 medium free range eggs
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 150 g (5.3 oz) goat’s cheese cut int pieces
- 5 figs halved
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
Make the pastry case
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan, 390F).
- Put the flour and cold, cubed butter in a bowl.
- Rub together (or pulse in a food processor) until you have a lump free crumb.
- Add 2 tbsp cold water and cut it through with a round knife (or pulse the food processor) until the mixture clumps.
- Gather the dough into a ball. If it's warm, wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a few centimetres wider than the tart tin.
- Pick the pastry up with the rolling pin and lift it into the quiche tin, carefully easing into the corners and up the sides.
- Trim the pastry so that it's level with the top of the tin.
- Prick the base all over with a fork.
- Line with baking paper and then fill with baking beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until the base looks dry.
Make the filling
- Heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat.
- Add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for 10-12 minutes until soft with a touch of colour.
- Tip the onions into the base of the pastry case.
- Scatter the goats cheese on top.
- Put the eggs, cream, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper in a jug.
- Whisk together and pour into the pastry case so it's about 1.5cm (half an inch) from the top.
- Top with the halved figs, cut side up.
- Carefully add more filling if there's room to do so without risking it overflowing - it's ok if you don't use it all.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then once cool enough to handle, carefully release from the tin. Serve warm or cold.
Video
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe then consider trying these delicious asparagus tartlets or my incredible salmon pot pie.
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