OF HONEY, FIGS, ALMONDS AND THE LIKE!
Toffee Crusted Fig and Almond Tart
Well it was tough, but someone had to eat it! Luckily I made this one at work and the office staff were happy to oblige…otherwise my ever increasing girth would be even girthier! My sister Kerri provided me with some of her lovely fresh figs and of course I had to blog about them! I took on the fig challenge, just as I took on the chocolate challenge, thinking of so many options that my hips ached! ANYHOO, this is the end result, and it smelt so amazing as it was cooking that I had frequent visitors into the demo kitchen to see what was for morning tea…those spoilt children!
Toffee Crusted Fig and Marzipan Tart
Pastry NEED:
100g toasted almonds
50g sugar
130g unsalted butter, cubed and frozen
1tsp vanilla essence
½tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
210g plain flour
1 egg yolk
1-2tbsp ice cold water
Pastry DO:
Place toasted and cooled almonds with sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 8.
Add butter, essence, cinnamon, and salt and mix for 5 seconds on speed 7.
Add remaining ingredients and with dial set to closed lid position mix for 10 seconds on Interval speed.
Turn out onto lightly floured Silicone mat and knead into a tight disc.
Place disc into flan tin with removable base and with floured hands press out and up edges to fully line tin. Place in freezer while you prepare the filling.
Vanilla Scented Marzipan NEED:
130g sugar
1 whole vanilla bean
130g blanched almonds
1tbsp cornflour
1 small egg white
DO:
Place sugar and vanilla bean into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 8.
Add almonds and mill a further 10 seconds on speed 8.
Add cornflour and egg white and mix together for approximately 30-40 seconds on speed 5, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary.
When marzipan has formed a reasonable dough, turn out onto corn floured silicone mat and roll out using rolling pin. Lay on top of lined flan tin and cut excess away. (Reserve excess.)
Fig Tart NEED:
Enough fresh figs to line flan dish of choice when quartered
250g mascarpone cheese
1 egg
15g raw honey
Reserved Marzipan
Fig Tart DO:
Place figs carefully on top of marzipan, arranged cut side up centrically.
Place remaining ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mix for 8 seconds on speed 7. Spread over figs.
Bake in preheated fan forced 180ºC oven for 30-35 minutes until just wobbly in centre. Leave in oven to cool. Chill before topping with toffee.
Toffee Crust NEED:
150g caster sugar
50g honey
Enough water to dampen sugar
Toffee Crust DO:
Place all ingredients into heavy based pan and heat on Induction 4-5 stirring only occasionally.
When all sugar has dissolved, increase heat to high and bring to the boil without stirring.
Remove toffee from stove when it has reached the hard ball stage and is caramel in colour. Drizzle over completely cold tart and allow to set.
I know, I know, a little lengthy, even fiddly, but oh so worth it in the end…yes I did mean the rear end!
