Grilled Manchego and quince toasts with honey and walnuts
Quick Mediterranean tapas: grilled sourdough topped with melting Manchego, glossy quince paste, toasted walnuts, thyme and a drizzle of honey.
This is the simplest, most Mediterranean way to show off two wonderful ingredients: nutty Manchego and punchy quince paste. Think of it as tapas you can knock up while the kettle boils.
Perfect for a casual supper, sharing on a platter or a party nibble. The salt from the cheese, the sweetness and texture of quince paste and a drizzle of honey make a small plate that tastes far more complicated than it is.
Ingredients
- 8 slices sourdough loaf
- 200 g Manchego cheese — cut into 8 thin slices (about 25g each)
- 150 g quince paste — cut into 8 thin slices or wedges
- 30 ml runny honey
- 50 g walnuts — roughly chopped and toasted
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme — leaves picked
- sea salt flakes — to taste
- freshly ground black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- baking tray
- grill (oven setting) or very hot oven
Instructions
Set the oven grill to high and place a baking tray on the middle shelf to preheat for 5 minutes.
Brush both sides of each sourdough slice lightly with extra virgin olive oil and place on the preheated baking tray. Grill for 1–2 minutes until the bottom is charred to your liking, then flip and grill the other side for 1–2 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
While the bread toasts, slice the Manchego cheese into 8 thin slices and cut the quince paste into matching pieces (about the same footprint as each slice of bread). Chop the walnuts and pick the thyme leaves.
Assemble the toasts: place a slice of Manchego on each grilled sourdough slice, then a piece of quince paste on top of the cheese. Scatter chopped walnuts and thyme leaves over each, then drizzle each toast with runny honey and finish with a few flakes of sea salt and a crack of black pepper.
Return the assembled toasts to the baking tray and place under the hot grill for 1–2 minutes — just long enough for the Manchego to soften and become silky, not to melt away. Remove from the grill immediately.
Serve straight away while warm. These toasts are best eaten immediately so the textures contrast — crisp bread, softened cheese and glossy quince.
Tips
- Slice the Manchego thinly so it softens quickly under the grill rather than turning greasy.
- Toast the bread ahead of time and keep warm in a low oven (100°C fan/120°C conventional) for up to 10 minutes if making several batches.
- Toast walnuts in a dry frying pan for 3–4 minutes over medium heat until fragrant — they’ll crisp up and taste nuttier.
- If you don’t have a grill setting, finish the toasts in a very hot oven (220°C fan/240°C conventional) for 2–3 minutes, watching closely.
- Make a platter: add quince paste cubes, extra slices of Manchego and grapes or olives — assembly on the table keeps the toasts crisp.
Substitutions
Manchego cheese → aged sheep's cheese or an aged Spanish-style pecorino, same quantity
Stays closequince paste → fig jam or tinned quince in syrup (drained), same quantity
Noticeably differentwalnuts → toasted hazelnuts or toasted flaked almonds, same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 710
- Calories
- 23 g
- Protein
- 90 g
- Carbs
- 29 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 41 g
- Sugar
- 620 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these ahead?
You can toast the bread and chop toppings in advance, but assemble and grill the toasts at the last minute so the bread stays crisp and the Manchego softens perfectly.
Why doesn’t Manchego melt like other cheeses?
Manchego is a firm sheep's cheese and softens rather than becoming gooey; slicing it thin and giving it a short blast under a hot grill yields the best texture.
How should I store leftovers?
If you have leftovers, store components separately: quince paste airtight in the fridge for weeks, cooked toasts wrapped in kitchen paper then foil for up to 24 hours (retoast briefly before serving).
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