8.02.2011

Fresh Fig Tart with Rosemary Cornmeal Crust and Lemon Mascarpone Cream


Fresh figs in the market reminded me to pull this tart recipe out of my file. I've had it for a while and I really loved the sound of the rosemary cornmeal crust. And I was right, it's easy to make and tastes marvelous. Of course, you could use the lemon mascarpone cream any number of ways...just spoon it over any fresh fruit and it would be lovely, but combined with the rosemary crust, the flavors just sing. If you're not a fig fan, any fruit will do. 


You could use a large rectangular tart pan or a 10 inch round one, but I do love individual servings. You can make the crust and mascarpone a day ahead, then assemble the tart and hold it at room temperature for an hour or so. 
The currant jelly glaze is the perfect finishing touch, but I've used red raspberry and apricot as a glaze in other tarts....works fine.


Fresh Fig Tart with Rosemary Cornmeal Crust and Lemon Mascarpone Cream
From Gourmet magazine, July 2003



Ingredients:

For crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (not stone-ground)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

For filling
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup mascarpone cheese (8 oz)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons red-currant jelly
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 lb fresh figs

Method:
Use round or rectangular pans with removable bottoms.


Pulse together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and rosemary and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until just incorporated. (It took 5 tablespoons for me)
Gently squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition and continuing to test.
Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of tart pan with floured fingers. Chill crust until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bake crust in middle of oven until center and edges are golden, 25 to 30 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack.

Whisk together sour cream, mascarpone, sugar, zest, and salt in a bowl.
Heat jelly and honey in a small saucepan until jelly is melted; allow to cool slightly.
Remove sides of tart pans and spread mascarpone cream in shells. Cut figs (or whatever fruit you're using) into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange over cream. Brush figs with honey glaze.


46 comments:

  1. Rosemary in the cornmeal crust? This I'm going to love. I adore rosemary and have even put it in cornbread, strange as that sounds.

    Really lovely fig tart Barbara. The essence of summer.
    Sam

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  2. Oh my, if that tart doesn't look simply heavenly, Barbara. I was recently reminding myself to look for figs when I'm out. The season, I believe, begins now. I too adore rosemary and the scent of it and the figs make my heart pitter patter:)

    Thanks so much for sharing...

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  3. Mmmhhh, what a fantastic tart! That crust is really original.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Beautiful looking tart and I am very intrigued by the cornmeal rosemary crust. Sounds utterly delicious. I adore figs. Yum.

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  5. Barbara I love figs and this tart look perfect!! gloria

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  6. to heck with trying to lose weight, i am sooooooooooooooooo making this and slurping down every bite!

    gorgeous pics!

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  7. Gasp. The flavor profile is just...breathtaking!! And it looks so awfully elegant and delicious. I love the sound of that gritty cornmeal crust...what a brilliant combination of flavors and textures!

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  8. Barbara, would you believe I've never actually baked with fresh figs? And, I too was in the market last week, saw fresh figs and was wondering what I could make. This tart is really stunning!

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  9. Fresh and vibrant. That's the way to make good produce shine.

    Must be nice to just have this beauty in a file. Must be some file cabinet.

    Cheers

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  10. oh wow what a tart looks amazing sure your not a pastry chef Barbara?

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  11. I love tarts and this is so beautiful and novel!

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  12. what a super recipe, Barbara! I can't wait for our figs to be ready to try all these flavors combined!
    PS I want to make lemon curd, we've got lots of lemons this year, have you ever made it? do you have a good recipe?

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  13. Just gorgeous! I can't wait to try this. First I've got to find some decent figs near me! They have been pretty dismal so far when I've been able to find any.

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  14. This beautiful tart looks like the perfect use for fresh figs! The pairing with the mascarpone and honey is really perfect and I love the sound of that crust!

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  15. wonderful timing of this post--I am going to a friend's garden later this morning to pick figs. !!!! a beautiful recipe, Barbara--I can't wait to give this one a try.

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  16. Looks fantastic. I'd love the figs with the marscarpone cream.

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  17. That crust is insane, Barbara! I have done cornmeal crusts before but never with rosemary... brilliant idea.

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  18. ooooh, this is so gorgeous! i love the fresh figs on top!

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  19. That a gorgeous tart! I love figs but don't see them that often in the stores here. If I find some, I'd love to try this!

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  20. Hopefully we'll have figs soon. Rosemary is no problem and it sounds like a delicious addition to the tart shell.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  21. This is lovely. It's a great use of figs!

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  22. I'm so glad figs are coming into season so I can stock up on recipes like this! That crust does sound quite intriguing. A great mix of flavors!

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  23. That crust is so creative! Love that you included fragrant rosemary for a twist. Beautiful!

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  24. Mmm this looks simple and delicious. I love fresh figs!

    Sues

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  25. What a delectable way to highlight fresh figs. I need to keep my eyes open for these treats.Mascarpone is a treasure!

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  26. Fig tarts I have seen many in my life...but my rosemary cornmeal crust? first time !!! Absolutely worth a try!
    Excellent idea

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  27. Simply beautiful, Barbara. I bookmarked this and will be watching for figs at the farmer's market. Love everything about these beautiful little tarts.

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  28. This is the BEST fruit tart recipe I have seen in ages!! :-) I can't wait to replicate it as soon as I can track down fresh figs. :-)

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  29. I love mini too and cornmeal in a crust makes it sound soo exciting too!
    And the glaze pretty , can imagine how delicious that was!
    Happy weekend with sunshine love sweety!

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  30. This tart looks AMAZING. I love the look of the figs.

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  31. Hi Barbara,

    The fig tart looks delicious and thanks for sharing the recipe.
    Also for your visit and kind words.

    Happy weekend
    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  32. Mmmm....love these tarts. I love figs but haven't seen any around....so strange. I've just bought a packet of preserved one yesterday to snack.

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  33. A true slice of heaven. I love just smearing fresh figs with mascarpone, so I know this tart must truly be amazing to enjoy.

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  34. Exciting flavors in this tart, very innovative! Have to wait to get a hold of delicious figs! So far the ones I have tried were disappointing; but this tart is opening up a lot of possibilities.

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  35. What a beautiful tart. The cornmeal crust must add such a unique flavor. The recipe sounds great.

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  36. Just beautiful Barbara! I'm reminded of a fig tart I made a few years ago that was quite similar when we were replete with figs.Good memories all round!

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  37. That looks just amazing. I do wish we had fresh figs available here!

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  38. I'll bet the rosemary just accents that crust perfectly!

    Lovely.....

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  39. I was all set to try the fig sorbet recipe I saw in the paper this week, then changed my mind to try another fig recipe I saw.

    Scratch all that. This is it. OMG!

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  40. stunning. the crust, i know i would love. the cream, brilliant. i still haven't tasted a fresh fig, but i firmly believe they'd be perfect here!

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  41. Great recipe from start to finish--can't wait to try it out!

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  42. I positively adore figs and could this tart be any prettier? Love it & I can't wait to try it - YUM!

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  43. This is a novel way to use rosemary. Sounds quite nice.

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