Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese…Tart?

There are worse problems in the kitchen than making something that tastes amazing, but is very difficult to name. Like, for example, something that’s easy to name, but tastes terrible. Luckily, this fresh fig and goat cheese “tart” was the former.

I wanted to make some sort of crostata, or galette-type, free-form tart, which I’ve done successfully in the past (and have the video to prove it), but instead of using standard pie crust dough, I decided to try something a little more rustic, and savory, using spelt flour and olive oil.

I knew this would pair beautifully with the sweet fruit, and tangy cheese, but what I didn’t know, was that it would end up being way too crumbly, and pretty much useless as a tart crust. So, I crumbled it into the bottom of a shallow ramekin, and the rest is history.

As predicted, the combination of flavors really worked extraordinarily well, and the somewhat gritty texture of the “crust,” added to the interest. But, what the heck is this? I don’t think it’s a tart. An upside-down crumble? Sandy tart? I give up, but if you have some time to kill, I’d love to know what you would call this delicious accident. Semantics aside, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

For  the crust (makes enough for about 4 small tarts):

1 cup sprouted spelt flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

3 or 4 tbsp water, or enough to form a crumbly dough

For one “tart:”

about 1/3 cup “crust” mixture

2 ounces creamy fresh goat cheese

1 black mission fig, sliced

tiny pinch of salt

very tiny pinch of cayenne

1 tbsp white sugar

spring of fresh lemon thyme