Honeyed Fig Tarts Recipes

HONEYED FIG TARTS

Steps:

• Preparing the filling:Soften the margarine in the microwave.In a food processer or stand mixer, beat the margarine, sugar, and honey together until they are smooth, and have started to lighten in colour to a pale white.Stop the machine, and add the egg yolk, orange blossom water, almond flour, and all purpose-flour. Mix on medium-low until completely combined and homogenous. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl after 30 seconds, and then mix for another 30 seconds.Set the mixture aside.Preparing the tart shells:Preheat the oven to 350f with a rack in the middle and an empty baking sheet on the rack.Unroll the phyllo, and cover with a clean and damp (but not wet) kitchen towel.Take one phyllo sheet from the stack and lay it in front.Gently brush it all over with the melted margarine. Try not to tear it, but do not worry if it tears a bit, just hold it in place as you continue to brush with margarine.Lay a second sheet of phyllo over the first one. Brush the new sheet with margarine.Repeat the layering and brushing until you have five sheets of phyllo stacked and brushed with margarine. Try not to press down too hard as you are layering, you want the sheets to stay as individual sheets.Using a pizza cutter, or a sharp knife, trim a half-inch off each edge, then divide the stack into six equal pieces by cutting it in half horizontally, and into thirds vertically.Left each phyllo square into the muffin tin, alternating cups so that each piece of dough has an empty cup next to it. Use your fingers to coax the phyllo into a cup shape, lifting and draping the sides so that the middle touches the bottom of the muffin pan cup.Scoop about 1 tbsp of the filling into each phyllo cup. Use the back of a spoon to level it out and get it into the folds of the phyllo. You want the cup to be filled almost to the rim of the pan, but not overflowingTrim the stem off your figs, and then slice into quarters, top to bottom. Put two fig quarters on top of the filling for each tart, skin side down.Put the muffin pan on the baking sheet in your preheated oven and leave it alone for 30 minutes.At 30 minutes, check your tarts. The phyllo should be dark golden, just turning brown on the edges, and the filling should have puffed significantly, and should also be golden.Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.Use an offset spatula or butter knife to remove the tarts very gently from the pan (the phyllo is brittle and will shatter). If they seem stuck, just wiggle them gently.Serve with more fresh figs, or a drizzle of honey.Source: Metro

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).