Dazz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

I certainly enjoyed the figs a friend gave me the other day, so when I spied Claire's fig recipe a thought crossed my mind.

If I used the portion of the Mt Eliza blue cheese I just brought at Tauranga Farmers Market then I would have a few grilled figs for supper with a glass of wine at the end of the day. My plans changed as the days rolled by... and now I've actually opened the red wine and eaten my first grilled fresh figs dolloped with Mount Eliza blue cheese drizzled with honey and blistered under the grill – they are astonishing.

Culinary combinations like this collide on your palate like several lovers in the dark but I felt the need for some texture and crunch.

Memories of trees laden with bird-tempting dark purple figs hanging from trees dotted around the villages in Greece.

It also reminded me of the honey-soaked pastries I often ate as an after work snack, they were sprinkled with nuts and

sesame seeds that were called xerotigana honey-dipped spiral pastries.

So this week the seasonal taste treat sensation is a combination of local honey, figs and blue cheese sourced from the farmers market.

The rounded blue cheese flavour, caramelised figs and honey with the texture of the nutty spiral pastry is another culinary match that transports you to a higher level of enjoyment.

Grilled Figs and Blue Cheese with honey dipped pastry spirals;

12-15 snack size portions.

Ingredients

12-15 fresh ripe figs

50-80g Mount Eliza blue cheese

2-3 Tbsp Manuka honey

Dough

6 cups flour

2/3 cup mixed lemon and orange juice

2/3 cup olive oil

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp water

Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup honey

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

Topping

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Good quality oil for frying

Method

Combine the six cups of flour and the remaining dough ingredients in a large bowl and knead well for five minutes. Add more flour as required to make a smooth, firm dough. Allow to rest for half an hour and prepare the syrup by boiling all the ingredients together for 15 minutes. Keep warm on a low heat without boiling.

After dividing the dough into fist sized pieces, roll out pastry into thin long strips – if you have a fluted pastry wheel use it for the edges. Strips should be 20cm long and 5cm wide. A pasta machine is recommended to get the pastry as thin as possible. Loop the strips around two fingers and roll into a loose spiral shape. Drop into hot oil a few at a time until golden brown, then twist while frying with a carving fork or similar. Drain on kitchen towel then drop in hot steamy syrup. Keep temperature up if needed and remove with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nut mixture.

Cut the figs in half then place a small slit in each. Fill with small amount of blue cheese and drizzle with honey then bake under grill for four to six minutes. Serve with the honey dipped pastries and a spoon of yoghurt – yum.