Fig tarts – simple & sublime

There’s not much to say about these little tarts, except that they make the perfect home for a handful of figs. With the retail cost of figs at an all-time high, you need to cosy up to anyone you know who has a fig tree in the hope you get a handful of free ones. Go for the green dollar and offer them a jar of homemade jam or bunch of rhubarb as a trade. Anything, just to get some. Try not to resort to stealing them from your neighbour’s tree in the dark of night. Well, only if you are desperate …

If you only have one fig, make a little tart for one, but if you’ve got a bucketload and you are over eating them as a fruit, make a batch of tarts.

Get yourself  2 sheets of pre-rolled frozen puff pastry. Cut 4 x 12cm (about 4½”) circles of pastry. Transfer to a baking sheet (tray) lined with baking (parchment) paper. Brush the edges with  egg wash (lightly beat an egg yolk with a little water to thin). Cut out another 4 circles of pastry and use a smaller cutter to cut a disc of pastry from the centre of each piece. You can cook the discs of pastry as well, if you like, but it is the ring of pastry you want. Carefully position a ring of pastry on top of each egg-washed pastry circle. Brush with egg wash.

Trim figs and cut into quarters. Lay them across the pastry. Chill.

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake tarts for about 10 minutes, until the pastry is a lovely golden colour. If liked brush with a little hot apricot glaze or plum jam. Serve hottish. See here for apple tartlets