Cheesy Fig Pastries
Looking for ideas for Christmas plant-based finger food? These cheesy fig pastries are the perfect party sharers whether your guests have a vegan diet or not. Creamy cashews, gooey plant-based cheese cheesiness...it's what Christmas is all about. If you liked our pizza tarts from our first book, you'll go ga-ga for these.
Serves
Ingredients
For the cashew cheese
<item-todo-done>1 tsp salt<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp coconut oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>300g cashews<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>60ml plant-based milk<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 garlic clove<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp Nooch<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>½ lemon juice<item-todo-done>
For the rest of it
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp balsamic vinegar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp agave syrup<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 sheet of plant-based puff pastry<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 ripe figs<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>10g thyme leaves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>30g walnuts<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done> rocket or watercress<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan setting | Baking Tray | Powerful blender | Baking sheet
For the cashews
- Soak cashew nuts overnight, or for a few hours in hot water (this is important)
Blend the sauce
- Put the cashew nuts, plant-based milk, salt, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and garlic clove in the blender and blitz into a smooth cream
Prepare the pastry
- Take the puff pastry out of the packet and unroll it on to the baking tray, keeping it on the parchment paper it’s wrapped in
- Take a sharp knife and run the tip of the knife lightly around the edge of the sheet to score a 1½ cm border
Assemble the tart
- Generously spread the cashew cheese over the puff pastry, making sure you stay inside the borders
- Cut the figs into quarters and neatly place the pieces over the cheese
- Drizzle the tart with olive oil, put the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes
Finish baking and serve
- Roughly chop the walnuts
- Take the tray out of the oven, sprinkle over the thyme leaves, drizzle over the balsamic vinegar, agave nectar and sprinkle over the walnuts
- Put the tray back in the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes
- Take the tart out of the oven, cut into slices and serve immediately with a side of fresh rocket or watercress