Fig Mascarpone Tart Food

FRESH FIG TART WITH ROSEMARY CORNMEAL CRUST AND LEMON MASCARPONE CREAM

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Pulse together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and rosemary and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until just incorporated.
• Gently squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition and continuing to test.
• Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of tart pan with floured fingers. Smooth dough with a small offset metal spatula or back of a spoon (floured if necessary), then roll a rolling pin over top of pan to trim dough flush with rim. Chill crust until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Bake crust in middle of oven until center and edges are golden, 25 to 30 minutes (don't worry if bottom of crust cracks), then cool in pan on a rack.
• Prepare filling and assemble tart:
• Whisk together sour cream, mascarpone, sugar, zest, and salt in a bowl.
• Heat jelly and honey in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking, until jelly is melted, about 4 minutes, then cool glaze slightly.
• Remove side of tart pan and spread mascarpone cream in shell. Cut figs lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange decoratively over cream. Brush figs with honey glaze.

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.