Preparation time : 35 minutes (plus refrigeration time).
Cooking time : 40 minutes.
Serves :: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150 gm) plain flour
- 1 tablespoon custard powder
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 100g butter, chopped coarsely
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
- 2 teaspoons water, approximately
- 2 large fresh figs (160 gm)
- Toffee –
- 1 – 1/4 cups (275g) caster sugar
- 1/2 cup (125m!) water
- 1/4 cup (40 gm) blanched almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup (125ml) strained orange juice
- 2 tablespoons water, extra
- Mascarpone Cream
- 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
- 200g mascarpone cheese
Preparation
- Grease four deep 10cm-round loose-based flan tins. Place flour, custard powder and sugar into medium bowl; rub in butter. Stir in yolk, rind and enough of the water to mix to a soft dough. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth; refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.
- Roll pastry between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line prepared tins; lift pastry into tins. Press into sides; trim edges. Place tins on oven tray; prick bases with fork. Cover pastry with baking paper; fill with dried beans or rice. Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans. Bake, uncovered, further 10 minutes or until browned lightly; cool. (Can be made days ahead and stored in airtight container.)
- Halve figs; cut each half into three wedges, ready for dipping in toffee.
- Place pastry cases on serving plates; fill with mascarpone cream. Top each with toffee-coated fig wedges and toffee strands; pour warm orange syrup around tartlets.
Toffee – Cover three oven trays with foil. Combine sugar and the water in small saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Simmer, uncovered, without stirring, until mixture turns golden brown; remove from heat. Dip fig wedges into toffee; place on one oven tray to set. Place nuts on another oven tray; pour over half of the remaining toffee. Stand until set; break almond toffee into pieces, then blend or process until crushed finely. Gently reheat remaining toffee; working quickly, dip fork into pan and drizzle long thin strands of toffee onto remaining oven tray. Add juice and the extra water to any toffee remaining in pan; simmer about 5 minutes or until mixture is syrupy.
Mascarpone cream – Whip cream in small bowl until firm peaks form; fold in mascarpone, in two batches, then finely crushed almond toffee.
Per serving – 68.2g fat; 3431kJ