I’m a little late posting this, so please forgive me!
Like the orange and beet salad I shared in my last post, this tart is another great dish for transitioning into autumn. Granted, depending on where you live, you may already be deep into autumn. But this dessert is so insanely simple to make and delicious to devour that I couldn’t wait until next summer to share it!
Here in northern California, we’re lucky enough to have access to fresh blueberries nearly year round, and our fig season is at least six months long. If you have access to fresh blueberries and figs where you live, give this tart a try. You can use black mission figs or the more spectacularly colored kadota figs (shown here).
It’s also one of those desserts that makes an al fresco dining experience that much better. And, of course, like many of my the recipes I share, it’s very low in added sugar, so you feel no guilt when you take a second slice after dinner. This dessert relies on the natural sweetness of fresh blueberries and figs.
Use your own tart crust recipe or my gluten-free version (here).
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend*
1 heaping tbsp cane sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter
2-3 tbsp ice water
8 oz marscarpone cheese
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
7-8 smallish figs (black mission or kadota), sliced in half
1 cup fresh blueberries
*I like to use 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill, 1/2 cup arrowroot powder/flour and 1/4 cup almond flour. You can also sub a little buckwheat flour and alter the almond to arrowroot ratio.
Preparation
Heat oven to 375F.
In a medium bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour blend, 1 tbsp sugar and salt until blended. Using a pastry cutter, two knives or whatever technique you like, cut in the flour until it’s evenly incorporate. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of ice water and continue mixing, adding a little more water if necessary until there is no more dry flour on the bottom of the bowl, but the mixture should still seem quite dry.
Dump the contents into a 9-inch tart pan and press the crumbly mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan, being careful not to work the dough too much (or it will get tough!). Chill in the fridge until the oven is ready.
Bake crust for about 15 minutes or until golden. Place on a rack to cool.
While the crust is cooling, whisk the mascarpone cheese with 1 tbsp of honey and the vanilla until you have a spreadable mixture.
When the crust has cooled enough to touch, carefully spread the mascarpone over the bottom of the crust in an even layer. Top with the fruit–either in a pattern or simply dropped in a haphazard fashion, and drizzle with 1 tbsp honey.
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Eat Well, Be Well, Live Well 