Honeycomb of goat's cheese with macerated figs and rye crispbread

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Goat's cheese might be one of the go-to classics when on the hunt for a vegetarian starter, but this recipe by Phil Fanning will be unlike anything your guests have tried before thanks to the innovative cheese 'honeycomb'. Pieces of artisan crispbread add to the visual appeal of the dish, while the figs give the recipe a sense of elegance - just remember to prepare them a week in advance to give enough time for the fruit to macerate.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Macerated figs

Fig and walnut oil purée

  • 200g of fig purée
  • 20g of walnut oil
  • 50g of cloudberry liqueur
  • 20g of balsamic vinegar, aged

Goat's cheese honeycomb

Goat's cheese and fig mousse

To plate

  • 4 medium crispbread, preferably Peter's Yard, broken into pieces
  • wood sorrel

Equipment

  • Food mixer

Method

1
To macerate the figs, place the figs in a tight-fitting jar with the orange and star anise. Cover with cloudberry liqueur and leave to macerate for 1 week
2
To make the fig and walnut purée, heat the fig purée in a pan until it has reduced by half, then pass through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Whisk in the walnut oil, cloudberry liqueur and aged balsamic vinegar
  • 200g of fig purée
  • 20g of walnut oil
  • 50g of cloudberry liqueur
  • 20g of balsamic vinegar, aged
3
To make the honeycomb, place the goat's cheese in the bottom a coffee cup or small ramekin lined with greaseproof paper. Microwave on 600W for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is a deep golden colour, then remove and allow to cool. Drain on kitchen paper
4
To make the mousse, beat the goat's cheese with the milk in a food mixer until smooth. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold through the cheese. Finally, fold in the remaining ingredients and transfer to the fridge to set
5
To serve, smear the goat's cheese mousse on the bottom of the plate. Place two halves of macerated fig onto the mousse and pieces of the goat's cheese honeycomb on top. Add the fig purée, crispbread pieces and wood sorrel leaves
First published in 2015

Phil Fanning remains one of the brightest, most interesting chefs of the British food scene, creating beautiful, intricate plates of food at the magnificent Paris House in Woburn Abbey.

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