Fig and Cream Cheese Tart

Thanks to the wonderful Lorraine Pascale and her fabulous Baking Made Easy book, I made this wonderful Fig Tart for dessert yesterday. Like with many recipes, you can mix and match the fruit, nuts and alcohol to whatever combination you like but give the fig a go, it is delicious.

Fig and Cream Cheese Tart

1 Quantity for sweet shortcrust pastry (either bought or make your own. Approx 500g)

260ml Cream (whipping or double)

3 Big Squeezes Runny Honey

1 1/2 Tbsp Sherry

165g Cream Cheese

12-16 Figs (fresh, cut into 6 wedges)

1 Handful Pistachios (roughly chopped)

Plain Flour for dusting

• Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180 C/350 F and grease and line a 20x30 cm fluted tin
• Roll out the pastry to about 4-5 mm thick and line the baking tin (use a small ball of excess pastry to push the pastry into the corners and the flutes. If the pastry tears or cracks, just patchwork it together with some excess pastry). Leave a small amount of pastry to over hang the top, prick the base a few times and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Remove from the fridge and line with a piece of greaseproof paper (scrunch up the paper first to make it more manipulable)
• Top with baking beans and bake blind for 20 minutes take out the beans and greaseproof and bake for a further 5 minutes until if feels sandy.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• For the filling, put the cream in a bowl and whip to a thick consistency.
• Fold in the cream cheese, honey and sherry.
• Spoon the filling into the tart shell then top with the fig wedges and scatter the pistachios.