Fig Tart

Name: Fig Tart
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 225g (1½ cups) plain flour; 2 tbs icing sugar; 125g chilled butter, cut into cubes; 1 egg yolk; 1-2 tbs chilled water (optional); 250g tub mascarpone or light cream cheese, well chilled; 2 tbs pure icing sugar; 200ml double cream or pure cream*; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 6 firm, ripe figs or any other fruit such as nectarines, peaches or pears. Just ensure you remove the seeds, stones and stems.

Ingredients

Pastry:

225g (1½ cups) plain flour
2 tbs icing sugar
125g chilled butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
1-2 tbs chilled water (optional)

Filling:

250g tub mascarpone or light cream cheese, well chilled
2 tbs pure icing sugar
200ml double cream or pure cream*
1 tsp vanilla extract

Fruit:

6 firm, ripe figs or any other fruit such as nectarines, peaches or pears. Just ensure you remove the seeds, stones and stems.

With the help of a food processor, creating a buttery shortcrust tart is effortless. It precisely slices fresh figs and blends the smooth, creamy filling for these delicious fig tarts. Feel free to switch up the fruit with fresh nectarines, plums, or pears for variety

Recipe courtesy of KitchenAid.

Method

For the pastry

Fit the bowl and multipurpose blade to the KitchenAid processor. Add the flour and sugar. Cover and pulse to combine.
Select speed 2 and with the motor running, quickly add the chilled butter to the small food chute. Blend 10 seconds until the butter cuts into the flour (it will look like very coarse breadcrumbs). Add the egg yolk and pulse until a dough begins to form, if required add the chilled water a little at a time. Do not over process the dough. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

For the filling

Fit the mini bowl and mini blade to the processor.
Add the mascarpone, icing sugar, cream and vanilla to the bowl.
Cover and pulse 5-6 seconds or until just combined. Do not over process. Refrigerate cream until assembling tarts.

Fruit

Set a few of the figs aside for serving. These can be simply quartered or thinly sliced to be fanned across the top of the tart. The tarts have a secret fruit layer in the base.
To slice, fit the slicing disc into the clean processor bowl. Select thin slicing and speed 2. Add the firm fruit to the chute and slice. Chill until assembling.
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan forced). Allow the pastry to soften and thinly roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper. Cut into 4 circles suitable to line the base of 4 individual small shallow flan tins (approximately 8 cm). The pastry can be reformed and rerolled as required.
Line the pastry with baking paper and then fill with pastry beads or baking beans. Bake 20 minutes, remove filling and bake a further 8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Allow to cool and remove from tins.
Place a layer of the thinly sliced fruit in the base of each tart shell. Top with the mascarpone cream and either decorate with the remaining fruit slices or quartered pieces.
Chill until serving.

FAQs

Notes

TIPS

Double cream and pure cream are thickener in consistency and produce a firm thick filling. Thickened cream may also be used but limit the blending or the filling may separate.