FIRESIDE FEASTING
Hearty, comforting food is the way to go, and make sure you have plenty of it, as hungry folk are chilly folk! You can cook on your barbecue, pizza oven or fire pit but, if you want to keep things simple, just rustle up everything inside before taking your piping hot food out to your guests. Start feeding people as soon as they arrive and then follow up with a big pot of something spicy and warming, with a sweet treat to finish.
GOAT’S CHEESE, APPLE AND HONEY TARTS
Start the night as you mean to go on with these delicious tarts.
MAKES 10
75g unsalted butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
2 x 320g packs of ready-made puff pastry A little plain flour, for dusting
1 egg, beaten
For the cheese topping:
200g goat’s cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 crisp eating apples, such as Braeburn or Royal Gala, peeled, cored and sliced Pinch of ground allspice
4 tbsp runny honey
Micro purple basil
1. Preheat a fan oven to 180°C (Fan 160°C/ Gas mark 6) and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Heat a saucepan over a medium heat and melt half the butter. Add the onion and rosemary and fry until the onion begins to brown. Leave to one side.
3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Using a round 10cm biscuit cutter, cut out 20 rounds. Place 10 on the prepared baking sheet and prick all over with a fork.
4. Make pastry rings by cutting smaller rounds into the remaining 10 pieces of pastry using a 9cm cutter. Then, take out the centre sections and save for another recipe. Brush the whole rounds on the baking sheet with the beaten egg, then place a pastry ring on each one. Pop in the freezer for 15 minutes to cool.
5. To make the cheese topping, put the goat’s cheese, lemon juice and some salt and pepper into a bowl and mix with a fork. Avoid overmixing as you want the cheese to still be crumbly. Spoon about 1 tbsp of the cheese mix on to each piece of pastry, then top with the sliced apple, overlapping slightly.
6. Melt the remaining butter and brush it over the tarts. Sprinkle over the allspice.
7. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. When the tarts are out of the oven, drizzle with the honey and micro purple basil while still warm and serve.