baked goats cheese cigars with honey and thyme
Ingredients
- 1- 2 rectangular filo at sheets (depending on the size of your sheets)
- Leaves from 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 60g butter, melted
- 125g soft goat’s cheese
- 4 tsp honey (lavender if possible)
- For the salad:
- ½ firm galia melon
- 1 small cucumber, or half a large cucumber
- 6 radishes, trimmed
- For the dressing:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- Unroll a sheet of filo horizontally on the work surface.
- Cut the filo sheet in half lengthways, and in half crossways to make 4 rectangles measuring approximately 15 x 20 cm. Repeat. Lay them all out on the work surface.
- Brush the rectangles generously with butter, ensuring that about 1 tbsp is saved to brush the tops.
- Sprinkle some thyme leaves along the long length of each pastry rectangle and fold it in about 2cm to encase it. Crumble a line of goat’s cheese in a line along the opposite short side of the pastry. Drizzle the honey just inside the goat’s cheese of each pastry. Starting at the goats cheese end, roll the pastry once over the goats cheese and carry on rolling all way to the thyme, sealing the join.
- Roll the pastry over the goat’s cheese and all the way down to the thyme.
- Repeat the process to make 4 cigars.
- Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush once more with the remaining butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crisp
- In the meantime, make the salad by using a mandolin or flat y-shaped vegetable peeler to julienne the cucumber (I usually scoop and discard the seeds out too) and the melon flesh. Slice the radishes thinly into rounds, place them all in a bowl (don’t season til later or it becomes wet). You can just slice the radishes into rounds. Season.
- Once the goat’s cheese cigars bundles are cooked, toss your salad with the dressing and a season lightly and place on the centre of your plate. Serve the cigar perched on top.
- Get ahead
- This dish is best made just before serving.
Notes
Tips
Filo sheets dry out really quickly. Be sure to store them well wrapped in cling film with no air contact.
Be gentle when brushing the sheets as they can tear easily.
You can flavour the goat’s cheese with any other dried herbs or spices that take your fancy, a sweet and savoury combination works well. Cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, ground cumin and sprinkle of chilli flakes. Basil.
You can also try a spoonful of your favourite chutney or caramelised onions in place of the honey.
