Fig and almond tart

A fig tart topped with an almond milk mousse.  You can find almond milk in health food shops.

 

For 6: Pastry: 125g plain flour 65g butter 20g caster sugar 35g chilled water 1 flan ring Ø20cm Filling: figs cut in half (12 large or 24 smalls) 1 tbsp chestnut honey ground ginger or grated lemon rind Mousse: 200g almond milk 200g whipping cream 80g icing sugar   4 leaves gelatine(8g) 1 tbsp kirsch Assembly: rhodoïd pastry crumbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  Put the cream and almond milk in the fridge.{mosimage}
• Making and blind baking the pastry base: Make a shortcrust pastry using the ingredients above.  Roll out on a sheet of baking parchment and place the sheet and pastry on a baking tray.  Take the flan ring and press down firmly onto the pastry, leaving it in place.  Prick the pastry with a fork to prevent it rising and cook for 20 mins.
• In a pan, sauté the fig halves in the honey over a high heat, 5 mins each side, turning halfway through the cooking. {mosimage}
  They should be lightly caramelised.  When they are done, leave them to cool.
• When the pastry base is done and has cooled, place the cellophane around the inside of the flan ring.  Arrange the figs on the base, packing them close together, and pour over any remaining juice.  Sprinkle with 2 pinches of ground ginger.
• Take the bits of pastry left outside the flan ring, crimble and set aside.
• Preparing the mousse:    Choose a tall rather than wide bowl of at least 1ltr capacity in which to whip the cream.  Place in the freezer for 10 mins.    Soak the gelatine in cold water. Heat 80gr of almond milk and melt the drained gelatine in it.
  Take the bowl out of the freezer, pour in the cream and the remaining120gr almond milk.  Whip till doubled in volume (5-10 mins).  Carefully fold in the icing sugar and melted gelatine mixture.
• Assembly  :  When the tart is cold, top with the almond mousse, levelling with a spatula.  Sprinkle over the pastry crumbs.  Refrigerate for 3-4 hrs for the mousse to set (no longer than 8hrs or the pastry will become soggy).
• To unmould, slip the tart onto a flat-bottomed dish on which you have laid a fig leaf.  Remove the flan ring and the cellophane.
• Bon appetit!

 

 

The tart can be made the previous day and the mousse added on the day you serve this dessert.

If you don’t possess a flan ring, use a cake tin.  Before spreading on the mousse, make a cellophane ring and put it between the tin and the pastry, stapling it to hold it in place.