Caramelized fig tart with cinnamon ice cream
A tarte Tatin by any other name, this uses sweet jammy figs and dark, rich muscovado sugar. There’s plenty of good-quality, readymade puff pastry out there – just make sure it’s the all-butter variety, so it will be properly flaky and rich.
Serves 4–6
You’ll also need a medium-size non-stick frying pan and a lump of hardwood
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
20g (1 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced
80g (1/3 cup) dark muscovado (brown) sugar
6 black figs, cut in half
1 cinnamon stick
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
For the cinnamon ice cream
250ml (generous 1 cup) full-cream (whole) milk
250ml (generous 1 cup) double (heavy) cream
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp ground cinnamon
8 free-range egg yolks
125g (2/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
First make the ice cream. Place the milk, cream, cinnamon stick and ground cinnamon in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil on the stovetop. Simmer for 5 minutes, then leave to cool for 5 minutes before discarding the cinnamon stick.
Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Pour over a third of the cinnamon-infused milk and cream, whisking to incorporate, then slowly whisk in the remainder. Pour back into the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened – the custard should coat the back of a spoon.
Transfer to an ice-cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, freeze the ice cream in a shallow container, whisking it every hour to break up the ice crystals, until you are happy with the consistency.)
Light and set a barbecue for direct/indirect cooking and place the lump of wood onto the ashen coals to start smoking.
On a sheet of baking paper, roll out the puff pastry into a rough circle about 3mm (1/8 in) thick. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Lay the sliced butter in the pan and sprinkle over the sugar. Arrange the figs on top, cut-side down, pressing them down a little so they are snug in the pan. Insert the cinnamon stick among the figs and grate over the lemon zest.
Set the pan of figs on the grill in the direct heat zone and close the lid of the barbecue. Cook for 8 minutes or until the sugar has turned a deep caramel colour and the juices have just started to bleed from the figs. Remove the pan from the barbecue and leave to cool for 5 minutes before laying the pastry on top of the figs. Tuck the edges of the pastry down between the sides of the pan and the figs, then brush the top with the beaten egg. Place in the indirect heat zone of the barbecue and close the lid. Cook for 30 minutes until the pastry is crisp and deep golden brown.
Remove from the barbecue and leave to cool for 5 minutes before carefully flipping the tart out onto a plate and serving hot with the cinnamon ice cream.