This Stilton Tart with Blueberry Sage Compote is a lovely thing to make for a New Year’s Eve cocktail party. One of the best parts about it is that since it’s made with a special stilton, it’s perfect as an hors d’oeuvres or as a savory dessert. It’s amazing with a special port or glass of champagne or wine. I’ve based my Stilton Tart with Blueberry Sage Compote on a Gourmet recipe, but it has a lot of updates. I have a 12-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, so I have it calibrated for that size. I add walnuts to the crust, and I serve it with a blueberry sage compote and my refrigerator jam. Cranberry chutney is also, lovely at Christmas, and I’ve also served it with leftover Thanksgiving cranberry relish. But there’s something about the blueberries with this Stilton Tart with Blueberry Sage Compote.

Crust:
¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter; diced
¼ teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, pulse the nuts into a flour-like texture. Add the flour and salt. Add in the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size clumps. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon ice water. If its really dry, add more, but mine came together with no water at all. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and make a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill dough 1 hour or overnight. When you’re ready to bake it, preheat oven to 350° F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into 13 inch round and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and sides all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. With the addition of the walnuts, this dough doesn’t shrink much, so I don’t fill it with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven 20 -30 minutes (until golden). Cool shell in pan 20 minutes (leave the oven on).

Filling:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 whole large egg
2 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
5 oz Stilton; crumbled (see note on cheese at the end)

Whisk together cream, whole egg, yolks, salt, and pepper until combined (I do this in the food processor since it’s already dirty). Put tart shell (still in pan) on a baking sheet and scatter cheese evenly in shell. Slowly pour custard into shell. Bake in middle of oven until golden around edge and custard is just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on a rack. Cut tart into small bites (I like to cut it on the bias- so pretty!) and serve at room temperature, topped with refrigerator jam, blueberry sage compote, or leftover cranberry relish.

Blueberry Sage Compote:
3 cups frozen blueberries
½ cup sugar
1 large sage branch
juice and zest from 1 lemon

Place all ingredients in a small sauce pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Let some of the berries burst. Remove cover and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Serve warm next to the tart so that people can dress it themselves. Cheese Note: I’ve found over time that there is a blue cheese for everyone. It can be strong or mild. If you don’t like strong, stay away from grocery store crumbles, things called Danish blue, and things you can smell easily through the packaging. Head to a nice cheese shop and taste several. A very mild blue most people like is cambazola, a camembert blue hybrid. It’s delish, particularly the black label. I used colston bassett stilton, by Neal’s Yard Dairy. It’s my favorite, and perfect for a special occasion. This is a great recipe to use it for too, since it stretches.You can even see the veins of the stilton if you look carefully at the custard layer in this slice.