It may be a surprise to hear this, but we have a pretty great fig season here in the northeast from about late August to early September. The northeast seems like the last place to find those gorgeous little Mediterranean jewels fresh and in season. It makes me so happy because I absolutely adore figs! So I was inspired to use them while they were perfect in an amazing mascarpone fig chocolate tart. The tart crust took a little patience but the filling could not have been easier.
When I tried the mascarpone fig chocolate tart, it was so worth the wait. The crust was deeply flavored and made this chocoholic a happy woman. Then the filling was so full of Mediterranean inspired yumminess. It was perfect for a sweet but not cloying dessert! Hope you all enjoy it, xoxo.
This mascarpone fig chocolate tarts combines amazing seasonal figs with big Mediterranean flavor and a decadent, flaky chocolate crust!
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional as needed
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter cold and cut into cubes
- 1 whole egg yolk
- 1/4 cup ice cold water
- 1 pound mascarpone cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 13 whole fresh figs halved
- powdered sugar as needed for sprinkling on top
- First, prepare the crust. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse it all together to aerate the dry ingredients. Then add the butter in and pulse it until the mixture becomes pebbly. Finally, add the egg yolk and cold water and run the processor just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well flour surface and roll it out into a disc that is about 10 inches in diameter. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour to rest.
- When the hour is up, take a 9 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom and spray it well with cooking spray. Take the disc and press it out firmly and evenly into the tart pan, taking care to press it well into the ridges as well. Put the tart crust back in the refrigerator for another 15-20 minutes to get cold again. While it sits, pre-heat the oven to 350. Line the tart crust with foil when it is ready and fill it with dry beans or pie weights. Blind bake the crust for 30 minutes.
- When the 30 minutes are up, remove the foil with the beans and bake the crust for another 10 minutes to let the bottom dry out. Then take the crust out and set it aside to cool completely. While the crust cools, prepare the easy filling. Combine the mascarpone, honey, balsamic and cinnamon together in a large bowl and whip it all together well with a hand mixer. Set it aside.
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When the crust is completely cooled, spread the mascarpone mixture evenly into the crust. Then line up the fig halves cut side up into the filling, pressing them in so that they stay put. Let the tart set completely in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. When you are ready to serve it, place the tart pan on a large can and let the outer shell fall off. Then gently slide the tart from the bottom onto a cake plate. Dust it with powdered sugar for the perfect finishing touch. Then cut and serve for an amazing treat!
wow this looks amazing
Thank you so much!!
Looks delicious and the pictures are amazing! Too bad figs are soo expensive in Quebec :O
Audrey, http://www.frenchallure.ca/
Thank you so much! Oh yes, when they are out of season they can get expensive here as well. There is a one month window or so to get them while the gettings good!
This looks so good, want to try it!
Thank you so much!! I hope you love it 🙂
This looks incredible! Figs have an incredibly short season here so I don’t use them often, but I might need to reconsider that!
Thank you so much!! 😀
This looks delicious! Now I know what to make with all the figs I’ve been seeing in the stores!
Absolutely!! Thank you so much for the feedback! 🙂