Butternut, Goat’s Cheese & Walnut Tartlets

Out at a restaurant recently, I spotted rosary goat’s cheese tartlet on the menu, and thought it sounded interesting. It was delicious – mixing the soft, slightly acidic creaminess of goat’s cheese with caramelised onion in a short, biscuity pastry base. I came away inspired to try making my own – always a sign that I’ve enjoyed a good meal.

For my version, I decided to pair the creamy goat’s cheese with toasted walnuts, over an autumnal-coloured base of wholemeal shortcrust pastry and sweet, roasted butternut squash.

I was pleased with the result, in particular how well the tastes of the goat’s cheese and toasted walnuts complement each other, so am sharing it here. I’ll say more below on options for sides, to serve it up as an attractive vegetarian mains.

You’ll need 4 tartlet or shallow mini-pie dishes – the ones I used are each about 11cm diameter.

Servings

Enough here for 4 tartlets.

Timings

30 mins initially to roast the butternut and prepare the pastry. 10 mins to assemble the tartlets, and another 25 mins to bake them.

You Will Need:

half a large butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
olive oil to drizzle
125g plain flour
100g plain wholemeal flour
pinch of salt
100g butter
several drops of cold water
1 rosary goat’s cheese
60g walnuts

Method

Turn on a fan oven to 180C. Spread the butternut squash chunks on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Add to the oven once it’s up to temp, and leave for 30 mins.
Next, make the pastry. Sieve the flours and salt into a food processor bowl, with blade fitted. Cut the butter into chunks and add in, pulsing the mix a few times till it resembles breadcrumbs.
Pour in a few drops of water and pulse again. Repeat until the pastry comes together and is whirling round the bowl in one large ball, with the blade.
Remove to a floured surface and finalise shaping it into a roundish ball. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 10 mins.
Take the tartlet dishes and spread with oil or butter, so that they won’t stick. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to about 1/2cm thickness on a floured surface. Cut off a round or square that will cover one of the tartlet dishes. Drape over the dish, then press down and trim the edge for a neat finish. Repeat with the other 3 tartlet dishes.
Remove the butternut from the oven. It should be soft and a little charred at the edges. Press down all over with a fork to make it into a soft, orange mash.
Scoop forkfuls of butternut mash into the tartlet pastry bases, and spread it out towards the edges. Arrange 2 – 3 discs of rosary goat’s cheese on top. Place in the oven for 20 – 25 mins.
For the final 5 mins of baking, remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the walnut pieces on top. Press down gently into the soft cheese so that they hold in place.
Remove from the oven when they’re looking like mine in the main photo above – you want the butternut and goat’s cheese discs to be browning and caramelising at the edges, but not burning.

Customise It!

I served the tartlets warm on a bed of celeriac mash, with steamed purple sprouting broccoli on the side. Any seasonal veg will work well as an accompaniment. You could also drizzle some baby potatoes with oil and add a few twists of seasalt, putting them on a roasting tray in the oven alongside the tartlets. You can also enjoy them cold with a salad, and maybe some leaves scattered over.

Music-wise, I’ve been very encouraged recently by the comments Robert Smith’s been making in the media about playing some gigs again next year. I’m a long time fan of The Cure since seeing them in their very early days supporting Siouxsie & the Banshees. There is also a new album fully due out next month, which I’m looking forward to. For now, here’s a classic from their early days: The Cure with Jumping Someone Else’s Train.