Potato, Roquefort and Hazelnut tart

Tags

blue cheese, hazelnuts, potato, quiche, roquefort, savoury tart, tart

This potato and blue cheese tart was a definite treat. An indulgence. It’s creamier than a quiche and manages to take something as humble as a boiling potato and cook it in a manner that transforms it into a gourmet dish. Serve as a starter or a main course with a green salad.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 shortcrust pastry
100g / 4oz lardons
500g / 17oz potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion, diced
200g / 8oz Roquefort
200ml / (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) heavy cream
75g / 3oz grated Gruyère
1 handful of hazelnuts, roughly crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out on a floured surface and transfer to a buttered 9 inch (24cm) tart pan
Place again in the fridge for about 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 210C / 420F
Place the whole potatoes in a saucepan with boiling water and cook for 15 minutes
Drain and allow to cool completely
Slice into thin slices
In a skillet, lightly brown the lardons and onion, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly
Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator
Arrange half the potato slices on the base
Add the lardons and onions
Cover with the remaining potatoes
Pour the cream over the top
Sprinkle the crumbled Roquefort over
Add the hazelnuts
Finally sprinkle on the grated Gruyère
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes
Serve warm
Enjoy!

Pizza with caramelised onions, figs, Roquefort and hazelnuts

Tags

blue cheese, fiesta fridays, figs, hazelnuts, onions, pizza, roquefort

 

Makes 1 pizza
Ingredients:

1 ball pizza dough, homemade or store bought
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
6 small figs, quartered
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sugar
90 g / 3 oz blue cheese, (I used Roquefort), broken into chunks
2 tablespoons hazelnuts, halved and toasted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation :

Preheat the oven to 240 C / 480 F
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté the onions for 7 minutes
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water, pepper, cover and cook on a low simmer for 10 minutes
If the mixture is still wet, uncover and bubble off any liquid
Place the pizza dough on a pizza baking sheet
Top the base with the caramelised onions
Place the quartered figs on top
Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with sugar
Grind some black pepper over
Place in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes
Halfway through the cooking time, dot the cheese on the pizza
Add the hazelnuts and return to the oven
Remove and eat immediately
Enjoy!

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Dos de cabillaud pané aux noix, sauce bleu de Bresse / cod with walnuts and a blue cheese sauce

Tags

bleu de brebis, blue cheese, cabillaud, cod, cream

Another superb even if you might think unusual combination at first. I must admit that when I first heard of combining white fish with a strong blue cheese, the idea seemed a bit strange but I had to try it and, boy, am I glad that I did. I made this last night for dinner and it had Stuart and I both trying to get the final scrap of sauce to add to our fish. You simply must give this a try. You can use any medium to firm white fish, cod, halibut, sea bass. For the blue cheese, I used a Bleu de Brebis, a delicious sheep’s milk, very creamy blue cheese, but you can use a Bleu d’Auvergne, Roquefort, Bleu de Bresse or Fourme d’Ambert. Do not use a Gorgonzola as it tends to be too salty.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

400 g / 14 oz cod fillet, skin removed
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons bread crumbs
10 to 12 walnuts
1 egg, beaten
60g / 2 oz Bleu de Brebis
Freshly ground black pepper
100 ml /1/2 cup heavy cream
30 g / 2 Tablespoons butter

Preparation:

De-shell the walnuts and grind in a food processor
Mix ground nuts with bread crumbs
Prepare 3 dishes, one with the egg, one with the flour and one with the crumb mixture
Dust the fish with the flour
Dip the fish into the egg
Press it into the bread crumb and nut mixture
Melt the butter in a sauté Pan
Cook the fish about 4 minutes each side until golden brown
Add pepper
While the fish is cooking, heat the cream slightly
Add the blue cheese cut into small cubes
Mix well until all incorporated
Place fish fillet on a plate and pour the sauce liberally over
Serve with rice
Enjoy!