Roasted Fig Tartlets Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Divide the pastry into 6 pieces. Roll out each piece to the thickness of a £1 coin and cut into a 11-12cm round, using a cutter or saucer as a guide. Place on the baking sheet and mark 1cm in from the edge, taking care not to cut right through the pastry. Fork over the pastry inside the marked line.
• Slice each fig and arrange, overlapping, inside the marked line of the tartlets. Brush with the butter and sprinkle with icing sugar. Can now be chilled for up to 5 hrs. Bake for 18-20 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden on the edges.
• Warm the jelly in a small pan, brush over the tartlets, then dust with more icing sugar. Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature, with Pistachio ice cream (see 'Goes well with...') or crème fraîche.

Steps:

• For walnut crunch:
• Stir honey, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in medium skillet over medium heat until sugar melts. Cook until mixture boils and is deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Mix in walnuts. Pour out onto sheet of foil; cool completely. Chop walnut crunch into small pieces. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
• For figs and pastry:
• Stir 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and salt in heavy large skillet over medium heat until sugar is evenly moist. Cook until sugar begins to turn golden, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes (mixture may be granular). Place figs in sugar mixture, cut side down, and cook until figs begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Add butter; swirl skillet to melt. Remove skillet from heat. Add Port and let stand 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer figs to plate and cool. Return syrup to boil, whisking until smooth. Cool syrup completely. Do ahead Figs and syrup can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill. Rewarm syrup before using.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with foil. Roll out thawed puff pastry on lightly floured surface to 12x8-inch rectangle. Using 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 6 rounds; arrange on prepared sheet. Divide walnut crunch among pastry rounds. Top each with 3 fig halves, cut side up.
• Bake tartlets until pastry is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Do ahead Tartlets can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm at 350°F for 8 minutes.
• Arrange cheese atop warm tartlets. Brush or drizzle with warm Port syrup, then top with cube of honeycomb or drizzle with honey.

Steps:

• With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in crème fraîche and confectioners' sugar until smooth. (Filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before using.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine port, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, zest, granulated sugar, and honey in a roasting pan. Use the tip of a paring knife to scrape vanilla seeds into port mixture, then add pods. Add figs, and turn to coat. Roast, basting once, until figs are soft and liquid is syrupy, about 45 minutes. Let cool. (Figs and syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.)
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut out eight 5-inch rounds. Fit dough into 4-inch tartlet pans, and trim excess dough flush with rims. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Place shells on a rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake tartlet shells until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons filling into each crust. Top with figs, and drizzle with some syrup. Garnish with orange zest curls. Tartlets can be refrigerated up to 1 hour. Unmold, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• MAKE THE DOUGH: Pulse the flour, sugar, salt and egg yolk in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, gradually add ice water, and process until dough comes together. Divide dough in half, and shape into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. ZUsing a fluted 4-inch tartlet pan turned upside down, as a guide, cut 8 rounds. Fit dough into tartlet pans, prick bottoms with a fork. Place shells on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Bake tartlet shells until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Transfer molds to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• MAKE THE FILLING: Beat cream cheese with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in crème frâiche and confectioners' sugar until smooth (Filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container for to 1 day, bring to room temperature before using).
• ROAST FIGS: Preheat oven to 350°F Combine port, anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, zest, granulated sugar and honey in roasting pan. Use the tip of a paring knife to scrape vanilla seeds into port mixture, then add pods. Add figs, and turn to coat. Roast, basting once, until figs are soft and liquid is syrupy, about 45 minutes. Let cool. (Figs and syrup can be refrigerated for up to 1 week).
• ASSEMBLE: Spoon 2 tablespoons filing into each shell. Top with figs and drizzle with syrup. Gqrnish with orange zest (Tartlets can refrigerated for up to one hour). Remove from molds and serve immediately.

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).