Rose Harissa & Goat’s Cheese Crown with Jewelled Cheese Dip
Perfect for sharing, this twisted bread crown looks impressive and with the savoury filling of warm rose perfumed harissa spices, sweet apricots and salty goat’s cheese it tastes wonderful too. The whipped goat’s cheese dip topped with warm honeyed apricots and dotted with pistachios and sparkling pomegranates is the perfect jewel in the crown.
Method
For the Bread
Put the flour into a food mixer fitted with a dough hook and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the honey, olive oil and add 280ml of the water. Mix on a slow speed and once the dough has come together add enough of the remaining water to form a soft dough (the amount needed will depend on your type of flour and water). Increase the speed and mix until the dough is smooth, soft and elastic. Alternatively mix by hand and knead until you have a smooth soft dough.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave to prove until doubled in size.
Line a tray with baking paper and have all the filling ingredients ready.
Tip the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Without knocking back, roll the dough out to a rectangle, just under 1cm thick, with the long side facing you.
Spread the harissa paste over the surface of the dough leaving a 1cm boarder. Dot the goat’s cheese mixture over the surface then sprinkle over the chopped apricots and thyme. Roll up the dough from the long side furthest from you to enclose the filling into a sausage, approx. 40–50cm long. Cut in half along the length to reveal the filling. Hold the pieces firmly at each end and twist quite tightly together, moving your hands in opposite directions. Now coil the twisted dough into a circle and press the ends firmly together. Place the crown on the lined baking tray. Put the tray inside a roomy plastic bag and leave to prove for 1–1½ hours until at least doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200°C fan
Brush the top of the crown with beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 25- 30 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool slightly and serve warm or cold with the dip in the centre.
For the Dip
Put the cheeses, crème fraiche, honey and lemon zest for the dip into a food processor and blitz until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a serving dish and chill until needed.
Melt the butter and rose harissa in a frying pan over a low-medium heat and add the chopped apricots. Cook, stirring for 1 minute until softened. Season with a little salt and then add the honey and thyme. Stir through for a few seconds and then remove from the heat.
Spoon the apricots and warm honey on top of the goat’s cheese dip and sprinkle with pomegranate and pistachios to serve.
Ingredients
- For the Bread
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 7g fast action yeast
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 320-375ml water
- 115g rose harissa
- 250g rindless soft goat’s cheese
- 4-5 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- 80g dried apricots, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- For the Jewelled Goat's Cheese Dip with Warm Honey, Apricots & Thyme
- 150g rindless soft goat’s cheese
- 100g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp crème fraiche
- 1 tsp of honey
- zest of ½ lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp butter
- ½ tsp rose harissa
- 25g soft dried apricots, chopped
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked
- pomegranate seeds, to decorate
- pistachios, toasted, chopped, to decorate