Roasted Fig Tart with Marsala Honey Glaze and Mascarpone Filling

I am in love with figs. They are healthy, sweet and marvelous paired with mascarpone cheese and honey.  I made this Fig & Mascarpone Tart to serve with coffee when my awesome cousin Aggie came to visit. I added Marsala to the glaze to remind us of our beloved ancestral home. Marsala is a wonderful fortified wine from Marsala, Sicily. You could also substitute port for the Marsala. I was lucky enough to have chestnut honey in the pantry – thanks to my brother-in-law Carl.  That added another depth of flavor that complimented the figs. The tart dough recipe is from The Complete America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, and is the best one I have found.

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Roasted Fig Tart with Marsala Honey Glaze and Mascarpone Filling

This is a marvelous twist on a fruit tart. Roasted figs in Marsala and honey topped on a Marscarpone cheese filling in a buttery and classic tart shell. Serve it chilled with an espresso to experience a moment in Sicily.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Author Homemade Italian Cooking with Cara

Ingredients

• 12 ripe figs -cut in half
• ¼ cup Marsala wine sweet or dry
• 3 TB TB honey
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 TB heavy cream
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups AP flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 stick butter -chilled cubed
• 16 oz mascarpone cheese 2 8oz tubs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 TB vanilla extract

Instructions

1. For the Figs: Spray a 13 X 9 baking pan with cooking oil. Line the cut figs in the baking pan, cut side up. Drizzle the Marsala and honey over the figs. Cover with lid or foil. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, until the juices turn to a thick syrup. Carefully remove the figs and set aside to cool. Pour off the extra syrup in a small glass bowl for later use.
2. For the Dough: Whisk the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Scatter the butter cubes over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough just comes together around the processor blade, about 12 seconds. (You can also do this by hand with a pastry cutter and whisk).
3. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 6-inch disk. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling the dough out, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle on a floured counter or marble pastry slab Be sure it does not stick to the board -add extra flour if needed. Place the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Use your hand to help form the edge. Set the tart pan on a large plate and freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes.
5. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375°F. Set the tart pan on a large baking sheet. Cover the crust with foil, and fill the shell with pie weights, beans, rice or a place another 9-inch pie pan on top. Bake until the tart shell is light golden brown and set, about 25-30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Carefully remove the foil and weights and continue to bake until it is fully baked and golden, 5 minutes longer. Watch closely so not to burn. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the tart shell cool on the baking sheet while making the filling.
6. For the filling: With a hand mixer, whip together the mascapone, sour cream, brown sugar and vanilla in a bowl. No baking is required. Keep filling chilled until ready to fill the baked and cooled tart shell.
7. To assemble: Pile the mascarpone filling up to the top edge of the cooled tart shell. Smooth out the top. Arrange the cut roasted fig halves in a cozy single layer on top. Keep any extra figs for a snack with ice cream. Glaze the figs by drizzling the marsala/honey syrup over the top.
8. Chill until ready to serve. Goes great with a cup of strong coffee or espresso.