Serves 4
Ingredients
For the crouton:
Goose fat - 100 grams
White bread - 2 slices
For the pickled butternut squash:
Butternut squash – 1
Cardamom - 1
Celery seeds – 1 tspn
Cider vinegar – 500 ml
Golden caster sugar – 185 grams
Ground turmeric – 1 tspn
Mustard powder – 1 tspn
Star anise - 1
Caster sugar – 60 grams
Garlic cloves – 1
Ground white pepper – 2 pinches
For the red onion chutney:
Olive oil – 2 tblspns
Port – 150 ml
Red onions – 500 grams
Red wine – 500 ml
Salted butter – 100 grams
Salt – 2 pinches
White wine or sherry vinegar – 50 ml
For the garnish:
Cucumber
Pink lady apples
Rapeseed oil
Roasted pistachios
Red grapes
Rocket
Method:
The red onion chutney can be made in advance to save time for creating your Chavroux goats cheese tart.
Peel and slice the red onions finely. Melt the butter and the olive oil in a pan. put the pan on a high heat, place sliced red onions in a thick based pot and keep on stirring making sure that the onions do not catch the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the melted butter and oil along with a garlic clove, port, red wine, and white wine or sherry vinegar, continue stirring. Cook for an hour until the chutney is reduced and soft. Leave to cool and then place in a fridge for later.
Cut the crusts off two slices of white bread and try to keep as much of the bread as possible. use a rolling pin to roll flat, then cut into rectangles, approximately two inches by four. melt the goose fat gently in a pan, coat the croutons and then cook in the oven at 175 degrees for approximately eight minutes until golden brown.
Peel and dice your butternut squash into centimetre cubes, place to the side ready to be pickled. place the cardamom, celery seeds, cider vinegar, caster sugar, ground turmeric, mustard powder and star anise in a pan and gently simmer for two minutes. Place your butternut squash in the pickling liquid for six minutes until soft. take your butternut squash out of the pot and set aside ready for your dish.
Chavroux goats cheese tart plate up: Here is the fun part!
Have your four plates ready for your guests or family and gather all your creations together. First, blowtorch your goats’ cheese and place in the oven at 175 degrees for three minutes. If you do not have a blowtorch, place in oven for four minutes. Whilst your goats’ cheese is cooking, cover your crouton with onion jam ready to put the goat’s cheese on top. Pop some chopped grapes, diced apple, pickled butternut squash, shaved cucumber and a wee handful of rocket on your plate. The plate is your canvas, you can be creative and design your own dish! Once the goats’ cheese is out the oven, carefully lift on top of the crouton using a spatula. Place the Chavroux goats cheese tart with all your garnish, drizzle some golden rapeseed oil across your canvas and serve.
Theodore’s top tip: For the best result with your Chavroux goats cheese, blowtorch before placing in the oven, this adds caramelization and a charred flavour to the goats cheese.
