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!

Flourless chocolate hazelnut cake

Tags

cake, chocolate, flourless, gluten free, hazelnuts

Everyone who loves chocolate knows that flourless chocolate cakes are the best, because they’re all about that chocolate. I love this cake. Rich, yet quite light due to the beaten egg whites, tastes decadent, and very easy to make. It is not a dense flourless cake that will leave you needing an afternoon nap, but a perfect piece of chocolatey goodness to finish off your meal. Serve as is or with vanilla ice cream, crème anglaise or whipped cream.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

200 g / 8 oz hazelnuts, blanched, peeled and roasted
200 g / 8 oz butter, cut into cubes
200 g / 8 oz dark chocolate
6 eggs, separated
200 g / 8 oz sugar
3 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur or amaretto (or fresh orange juice)
ganache topping:
150 g / 5 1/2 oz dark chocolate
50 g / 2 oz hazelnuts

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 360 F
Butter a 22 cm / 9″ springform cake pan
Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until they are reduced to an almost  powder like consistency
Melt the butter and the chocolate in a bain marie or over a pan of boiling water
Add the cut up hazelnuts and allow to cool for 5 minutes
Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar with an electric beater for at least 5 minutes
Add to the chocolate mixture and mix well
Add the liqueur to the mixture
Whisk the egg whites until stiff
Add a few tablespoons of the egg whites to the mixture and mix well
Then delicately fold in the rest of the whites with a rubber spatula
Pour the mixture into the cake pan
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the cake pan for at least 30 minutes
Remove the springform pan and allow to cool completely
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie or over boiling water
Pour the chocolate over the cake
Sprinkle with the remaining hazelnuts
Enjoy!

 

 

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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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