Vegetarian dish provided by The Mere Golf Resort & Spa, Chester Road, Knutsford

Ingredients

Readymade Puff Pastry

Goats cheese cream

100g Cream Cheese

200g Goats cheese – (Soft & skin off)

Pickle Liquor

100g Water

150g white wine

5 cloves

½ tbsp vanilla essence – shake bottle !!

100g sugar

1 bay leaf

50g white wine vinegar

6 Ripe black figs

Thyme Honey

100g Honey

10g fresh thyme sprigs

To Assemble

Chicory leaves Red & Yellow

Celery Batons

Apple batons

Toasted walnuts

Pea shoot (Available from most supermarkets)

Shredded Raddichio

Method

Start the night before by infusing the fresh thyme into the honey, allow to steep in an air tight container in a warm place. Secondly place all pickle liquor ingredients in a pan & bring to the boil, add figs & remove from heat, cover & place in fridge.

Pre heat your oven at 180oc/ 350 F. Remove puff pastry from the fridge & allow to warm up. Roll to a thickness of a pound coin, allow to rest for 30 minutes before cutting (this makes the pastry relax and wont shrink during cooking) Cut into a rectangle measuring 12cm X 5 cm. Place between greaseproof paper & 2 trays (this stops the pastry rising too much during baking) cook for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

To make the goats cheese cream - Pulse together the goats cheese & cream cheese until smooth (not to much as this will make the cream to soft) Press the cream through a sieve to insure its smooth.

To Assemble

Quarter the black figs & allow to dry slightly on kitchen towel. Place 1 tsp of the cream mix onto the plate you wish to serve on, stick the pastry on to this to give a base to work from.

Spread 1tbsp of the goats cheese cream onto the pastry & also place 3 individual tsp of the cream mix on top of this. Place 4 quarters of the figs onto the goats cheese, followed by 4 pieces of walnut. Trim the chicory to 4cm long, split in half & stand in the cream mix. Add the apple & celery batons. Stick the pea shoots into any gaps and carefully place the shredded radicchio to create the most colorful effect. Finish by running 1tsbp of the thyme honey over the salad & around the edge of the plate.

The Mere Golf Resort & Spa, Chester Road, Mere, Knutsford, Cheshire United Kingdom WA16 6LJ

01565 830155

www.themereresort.co.uk