Pan-fried figs, serrano ham, cream cheese and walnuts on toast

Method

1. Mix the cream cheese with three-quarters of the walnuts, crumbling them between your hands and beating them into the cheese with a fork. Spread generously over the toasted bread.
2. Open the figs by cutting a cross at the pointed end and opening them up like a flower with your fingers. Drizzle some olive oil into a pan over a medium heat and add the brown sugar. Add the figs and fry the bases only, without turning them; you only want to cook the bottom of the figs. Watch that the caramel that forms in the pan doesn’t burn (see know-how). After 4-5 minutes in the pan, add the sherry vinegar and turn off the heat.
3. Place the hot figs over the toasts and drizzle with the hot juices from the pan. Top with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and the slices of ham. Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and serve immediately.

Recipe from Spanish Made Simple: Foolproof Spanish Recipes for Every Day by Omar Allibhoy of Tapas Revolution (Quadrille £20)

Photography: Martin Poole