Fig Mascarpone Tart Recipes

FIG, HONEY AND MASCARPONE TART

Steps:

• Put the flour in a large mixing bowl.
• Cut the butter into small chunks and tip into the flour.
• Rub the butter between your thumbs and fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, stir in the sugar and drop in the two egg yolks.
• Using a table knife or your hands, mix in the eggs.
• Then use your hands again to bring the whole lot together.
• You may need a few drops of water but add them carefully.
• You should end up with a soft ball of dough.
• Cover with a piece of greaseproof, foil or clingfilm and refrigerate for about an hour.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured board so that it is large enough to fit a deep 25cm diameter metal tart inches
• Lift the pastry up with the help of a rolling pin and drape over the tart tin.
• Gently push the pastry into the corners of the tin and up the sides, patching any holes and tears where necessary.
• No one will ever know.
• Prick the pastry case all over with a fork, place a piece of greaseproof paper on top of the pastry, and weight it down with something like beans or rice.
• Rest the pastry in the fridge while the oven gets to 350°F
• Cut a deep cross in the top of each fig.
• Bake the tart case for about twenty-five minutes until it is firm and somewhat dry to touch.
• It should be the colour of a custard cream.
• Remove the greaseproof paper and beans.
• Leave the pastry to cool a little, then place the figs in snugly, squeezing each on as you so do to open it up.
• Stuff little spoonfuls of mascarpone into the open figs.
• Drizzle with honey.
• Mix the crème fraîche with the egg yolks and sugar and pour over the fruit.
• Bake for 35 minutes until the edges of the pastry have browned slightly and the juices have combined with the creamy bits to give a sort of wobbly custard.
• Leave to cool and set slightly for fifteen minutes before eating.

GOLDEN FIG AND MASCARPONE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Cut Feuille de' Bric sheets into 2 1/2-inch squares, spray with pan spray and crisscross in muffin tins. Bake until golden brown, let cool and remove from pan.
• In a medium bowl mix figs removed from the syrup with mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, and 1 large egg. Mix on slow speed until figs are well broken. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Fill tart shell 3/4 of the way and bake for 20 minutes or until filling is firm. Garnish with black fig syrup and serve warm.

FIG AND ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, gradually add the water until moist clumps form. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
• In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and honey. Blend until smooth.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a large, heavy baking sheet. Spread the almond filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the figs on top of the almond filling. Spoon the jam over the figs. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.
• Bake the tart until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the tart from the parchment. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve.
• Cook's Note: To reconstitute dried figs, simmer in water for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool completely. Strain before using.

FIG MASCARPONE TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry dough combine the flour, sugar and pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
• Chop the cold butter into small pieces. Add the butter to the processor and process until a crumbly sandy texture is achieved.
• Mix the yolks with the whipping cream to combine.
• With the motor running add the whip cream and egg mixture through the feed tube. Process until the dough comes together in a ball.
• Note: due to variables in flour moisture, you may have to add a little extra whip cream to the mixture to get the dough to come together. If necessary add a teaspoon (5ml) of whip cream.
• Remove the dough from the processor and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes before rolling.
• In a medium bowl blend the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, sugar and the scraped vanilla bean. Mix just to combine.
• Preheat oven to 400F (204C)
• Line a baking tray with parchment.
• To make the egg wash; in a small bowl whisk the egg and add 1 tablespoon (15ml) water to combine.
• Slice the figs into a little over inch (.63cm) slices crosswise.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to less than 1/8 inch (.31cm) thickness and 9 inch (22 cm) diameter circle.
• Move pastry on to the parchment lined baking tray.
• Using an off-set spatula smear the mascarpone in the center of the dough leaving a 2 inch (5 cm) border.
• Starting from the outside working in, lay the figs in a circular overlapping ring, form concentric circles to cover the cheese. Making almost 2 full layers when complete.
• Fold the excess dough up and over the filling leaving about a 3 inches (7.5cm) uncovered to show off the beautiful figs. Pinch edges if necessary to make sure the pastry is sealed.
• Brush all the edges with egg wash. Sprinkle tart with sugar.
• Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes at 400F (204C). Turn the oven down to 350F (176C). Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is fully cooked and golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
• Cut into 6-8 slices and serve with freshly whipped cream.
• This tart is best served straight out of the oven warm and crispy!

FRESH FRUIT TART WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 tart pans.
• Blend flour, butter, and sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until combined. Divide mixture evenly and press into the bottoms of the prepared tart pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• While crusts are cooling, beat cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spread mixture over cooled crusts. Arrange strawberries, blackberries, and kiwis on tart in desired design.
• Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Pour in water and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Let glaze cool completely.
• Glaze the entire top of each tart gently using a pastry brush.