Savory Fig Tart Recipes

FIG TART WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS, ROSEMARY AND STILTON

Steps:

• In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil. Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Stir in the onions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.
• Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs. Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.
• Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.

FRENCH FIG TARTS

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a 5-inch-round flat disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for exactly 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• On a floured board, roll the dough to a rectangle a little larger than 10-by-14 inches. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared pan. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the dough to a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Remove the stem of each fig and cut them in quarters through the stem (or in sixths, if the figs are very large.) Place the figs in rows on the dough. Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the fruit starts to brown. Rotate the pan once during baking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The juices will burn in the pan but the tart (and the pan!) will be fine! When the tart's done, loosen it from the pan while it's still warm and transfer it to a board or clean piece of parchment paper.
• In a small pan, heat the apricot jelly with 2 tablespoons water and brush the fruit and pastry completely with the mixture. Allow to cool, cut into squares, and serve warm or at room temperature.

SAVORY FIG TART

Steps:

• Make the tart dough. Combine 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp Kosher salt in a large mixing bowl, then whisk. Add 1 cup unsalted butter that's been cubed, then use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour. Keep working at it until the butter resembles the shape of small peas. Add ½ cup ice water, then use your hands to thoroughly mix until the dough just until it comes together into a smooth ball. Once that happens, stop mixing.
• Rest the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes until lightly chilled.
• Press the dough into a tart shell. Preheat an oven to 375F. Roll the tart dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to a thickness of about ¼ - ½". If it's too chilled to roll out, let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature, then try again. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9" tart shell or traditional pie plate. Press dough gently into the pan, pushing the dough up the side, then trim any excess. Use a fork to prick all over the surface of the dough. Rest the dough for 20-30 minutes.
• Parbake the tart dough. Cover the tart dough with a large piece of parchment, enough so that it hangs over the sides by a couple of inches. Fill with pie weights, then partially blind bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then carefully lift the parchment to remove the weights. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F.
• Make the filling. Combine 8 oz goat cheese, 2 Tbsp crumbled gorgonzola cheese, 1 lemon zested + 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 egg, 2 tsp chopped rosemary, 1 Tbsp honey, and ½ tsp Kosher salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with blade attachment. Process until smooth.
• Fill the tart, then bake. Pour the filling into the cooled shell, then smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange quartered figs on top, cut side up. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling has set.
• Cool, then serve. Allow the tart to cool for 15-20 minutes (it's easier to cut this way!), then serve immediately with a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar, an extra crumble of gorgonzola (if using), and flaky sea salt. We love to add a few handfuls of baby arugula too!

SAVORY FIG TART

Steps:

• Adjust rack to the middle and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly dust the work surface and pastry with the flour. Roll the pastry out to a 7-x15-inch rectangle. Brush the perimeter with water. Fold all four edges over, creating a 1/2-inch overlapping frame around the pastry. Transfer to the baking sheet.
• Poke the pastry all over with a fork, then bake until firm and golden all over, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Preheat the broiler. Fill the pastry with the fig spread. Crumble the goat cheese over the top and drape strips of prosciutto on the cheese. Broil for about 4 minutes. until the prosciutto starts to brown and the cheese melts. Let cool for 15 minutes. Cut into 8 bars. Sprinkle with pepper and thyme. Serve warm.