Fig and Mascarpone Tart

Ingredients

• Shortcrust Pastry - Makes 1 large tart shell
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 125g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 Tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 250gm mascarpone, at room temperature
• 250gm ricotta, at room temperature
• 100gm castor sugar
• 100gm honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 4-5 large ripe figs, thickly sliced
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 1 punnet blackberries (150gm)
• 1 tablespoon castor sugar,extra
• Juice of half a lemon

Directions

Shortcrust Pastry

1. Place flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and pulse to combine.
2. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds.
3. In a small bowl, lightly beat yolks with the water.
4. With machine running, add yolk mixture and process just until dough holds together, no more than 20 seconds.
5. Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic.
6. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use, at least 2 hours.
7. Can also be frozen for up to a month and defrosted before use.

Method

1. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board.
2. Lift the pastry into a 23cm tart tin with a removable base, and press it in lightly.
3. Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 180C.
5. Blind bake the tart shell by lining the pastry with baking paper. (*Blind bakemeans to cook the tart shell empty)
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Remove paper and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden.
8. Set aside to cool and lower the oven to 160C.

The Filling

1. Combine mascarpone, ricotta, sugar, honey, vanilla, eggs, egg yolk and flour in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into the cooled tart shell. Arrange sliced figs on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until filling is set but still slightly wobbly in the centre and golden.
3. Place jam in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm for a few minutes until melted.
4. Brush gently over the cooled tart.
5. Combine blackberries, extra sugar and lemon juice. Spoon over the tart and serve either at room temperature or slightly chilled.