Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts

Savory cheese, earthy spinach and sweet figs baked in puff pastry make these little blue cheese spinach fig tarts the perfect light summer meal. 

When it’s fig season, my consumption of fresh figs is only hampered by my reluctance to pay the big prices often commanded in my nearby grocery store. But I do enjoy them so much that sometimes I succumb to temptation.

Mostly I just eat them plain, straight out of the little basket, especially if they are quite sweet. When they aren’t quite a sweet as they could be, I find baking them helps. And adding a savory element like cheese heightens their innate sweetness, like a sprinkle of salt on watermelon.

Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts

If I have a choice of blue cheeses, my favorites are Roquefort, which is made with raw cow’s milk or Bleu d’Auvergne which is marbled with the same blue-green mold from the Penicillium roqueforti. Use your own favorite blue cheese! 

Ingredients

6 3/4 oz or 192g frozen spinach, thawed

1.1 lb or 500g puff pastry block

4 ripe but firm figs (about 7 2/3 oz or 216g)

3 1/2 oz or 100g your favorite blue cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Drain the thawed spinach and squeeze as much excess liquid out of it as you can.

Trim off the stems then cut the figs into wedges.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C fan. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. 

Crumble the blue cheese in a mixing bowl. 

Add in the thawed spinach along with a few generous grinds of black pepper and toss lightly with a fork to combine. 

On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out into a large square, then trim the edges. 

Cut the pastry into four equal squares. 

Fold the corners in and then up to create a short wall of pastry all around.

Divide the blue cheese spinach mixture into four equal portions. You can, of course, eyeball the portions and skip this step but I find it easier to use my scale and take the guess work out. 

Add half of the apportioned blue cheese/spinach mixture to one of the little tart shells. Top with 1/4 of the fig wedges. 

Finish with the other half of the blue cheese mixture. 

Assemble the other three tarts the same way and transfer them to your prepared baking sheet. 

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or until the puff pastry is golden and the cheese is melted. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Or cool completely before storing in an airtight container, separated by baking parchment or wax paper. These individual tarts are great picnic food and absolutely taste better outdoors with a glass of chilled rosé.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating Eat Outside Day with recipes perfect for your next picnic. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts by Food Lust People Love
• Cheese Muffuletta (Vegetarian) by Palatable Pastime
• Chicken Fajita Foil Packets by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Heirloom Tomato & Whipped Feta Sourdough Sandwich by Our Good Life
• Keto Salami & Egg Cups by Sneha's Recipe
• Muddy Buddy Marshmallow Brownies by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Pesto Pasta Salad by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Quick Pork Liver Pâté by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spiced Avocado Chocolate Mousse by Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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