Honeyed Fig Tarts Food

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.

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).

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

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.