Fig Tart With Honey Vanilla Ice Cream Recipes

HONEY ROASTED FIG & ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a shallow loose-bottomed 25cm flan tin. Make sure the pastry comes above the rim - it may shrink in baking and the filling could spill. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the figs in half lengthways and sit them cut side up on a roasting tray. Mix the orange juice and honey in a bowl, pour over the figs and roast for 10-12 minutes until just soft. Drain off any juice into a saucepan and reserve.
• Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to fan 130C/conventional 150C/ gas 2. Leave the pastry case to cool slightly before filling.
• Cream butter and sugar in a food processor or with an electric beater until smooth and pale. Tip in the ground almonds and zest and whizz briefly to combine. Add egg yolks and 1 tbsp of the reserved fig juice and whizz again until smooth. Spread evenly over the pastry case.
• Gently press the figs cut side up into the almond mixture. Bake for 11⁄4 hours or until it's golden all over (don't worry if the centre still seems soft - a little gooeyness is good). Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove sides and transfer on its base to a wire rack to cool.
• Before serving, take the tart off its base and transfer to a flat platter or board. If you have juice left from roasting the figs, bring it to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until sticky and syrupy. Brush this over the figs and serve as soon as possible, while the syrup is still glossy on the figs (it will start to seep through into the filling if you leave it too long).

HONEY VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium pan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to simmering. Do not boil. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, honey, and salt until light colored and frothy. While whisking constantly, slowly combine the hot milk with the egg mixture. Transfer the mixture back to the sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees Celsius) when tested with a candy thermometer, or becomes thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat.
• Remove the vanilla bean from the mixture and reserve. Strain custard into a large bowl. Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean into the custard. (Vanilla bean pod may be used again.) Stir the heavy cream into the custard. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
• When cold, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

FIG TART WITH HONEY-VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Beat together the whole eggs and yolks. Meanwhile, heat the honey with the cream and milk with the vanilla, lemon peel and coriander. Remove from heat just before it reaches the boiling point.
• Pour the mixture in a thin stream into the eggs and mix thoroughly (if you are using a food processor, remove the bag of coriander seeds and lemon peel when you do this).
• Pour the mixture into a double boiler and place over very hot water on medium heat. (You can also use a thick saucepan placed on an iron trivet over low heat.) If you have removed the coriander bag, return it to the mixture. Cook until thickened to the consistency of custard.
• Remove from heat and cool, whisking occasionally. Remove the coriander bag and the lemon peel. Put the mixture in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions.
• When ready to bake the pie shell, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the figs and cut them in half. Arrange them skin side down with their pointed ends toward the center, in the tart shell. Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If the edges of the pie shell start to brown, cover them with foil. Cool the shell on a rack.
• Heat the jam in a small saucepan with the kirsch or framboise. Strain it over the figs. Serve with the ice cream on the side.