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Hello! Today we’re making a tart inspired by the amazing Lannan Bakery in Edinburgh, they currently have the most beautiful fig and honey pastry on the menu, as soon as I saw it I knew I needed to create my own version. Although I’m not quite ready to let go of summer, this tart feels like dipping your toe into Autumn, it’s very lightly spiced and nutty but still has the summery freshness of a fruit tart, the best of both worlds. You could substitute the figs with any late summer/early autumn fruits, blackberries and plums would both work nicely here.
Before we get stuck into the recipe, let’s have a look at the components:
The Components
Walnut Pastry; I’m not usually a huge walnut fan but walnuts and figs are a classic combination and I suppose I can’t always use my favourite nut (hazelnuts). Despite not being a huge walnut fan, I actually find this pastry to be delightful, it’s nutty, lightly sweet and has just a hint of cinnamon. It’s also incredibly easy as you can make it start to finish in a food processor, I will say that this pastry is quite sticky and soft to work with so make sure it’s fully chilled before attempting to roll it and don’t be afraid to throw it back in the fridge for 10 minutes if you’re working in an especially hot kitchen.
Honey Custard; Honey is one of those flavours that can be slightly tricky, it’s often difficult to make it really shine amongst other ingredients, to give it a boost I lightly caramelise it, this helps to intensify the flavour as well as knock the sweetness back a touch. I also infuse the cream with vanilla, orange and cinnamon, this might sound like a lot of flavours but they’re all there to support the honey and give it a boost, they act like sweet seasonings.
Fig Compote; I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, I much prefer cooked figs to raw, adding a nice thick layer of fig compote ensures that we get some good fig flavour coming through in our tart, the addition of orange blossom isn’t essential but it adds a nice floral note and intensifies the figs.
Fresh Figs; As I can’t resist faffing around and arranging fruit in meticulous patterns, I thinly sliced and fanned the figs for this tart but it would be just as tasty with fresh figs thrown on top willy nilly.