Black Mission Fig Tart

Californian Black Mission fig tart with honey mascarpone and candied walnuts

Origin: California, United States

From the journey of Fig.

The Black Mission fig is California's signature fig variety: a small, purplish-black, parthenocarpic fig (meaning it requires no wasp pollination) that was introduced to California by Franciscan missionaries at the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769. Named after the missions that propagated it up the California coast, the Black Mission fig thrives in the state's Mediterranean climate and has been grown commercially in the San Joaquin Valley since the 1880s. Its flavour is more concentrated and complex than larger Smyrna-type dried figs: the flesh is dark, jammy, almost wine-like in its intensity when fully ripe, with a thin skin that caramelises beautifully under heat. The pairing of the Black Mission fig with mascarpone (the rich, barely sweet Italian cream cheese that California chefs adopted enthusiastically in the 1980s and 1990s during the era of California cuisine) became a standard of Northern California's farm-to-table restaurant movement: a tart that celebrated the best of the local harvest with a minimal, confident preparation. Candied walnuts add texture and a counterpoint sweetness; black pepper in the pastry is a conceit borrowed from the savoury-tart tradition that acknowledges the fig's affinity with spice and heat.

Ingredients

Pastry

200 g plain flour
25 g icing sugar
0.25 tsp fine salt
0.25 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
120 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling

350 g mascarpone, at room temperature
2 tbsp good honey (wildflower or orange blossom), plus extra for drizzling
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
0.5 lemon, finely grated zest only

Topping

400 g ripe Black Mission figs (or another ripe dark fig variety), halved or quartered

Candied walnuts

60 g walnuts
2 tbsp honey
0.25 tsp flaky sea salt

Method

Make the pastry: combine the flour, icing sugar, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Add the cold butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and ice-cold water. Mix briefly until the dough just comes together. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to a circle 3mm thick. Line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Press into the edges and trim the overhang. Chill for a further 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Line the chilled pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for a further 10 to 12 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
Make the candied walnuts: heat the honey in a small frying pan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Add the walnuts and toss to coat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the honey caramelises around the nuts. Tip onto a sheet of baking parchment and sprinkle immediately with the flaky salt. Leave to cool and harden.
Make the filling: beat together the mascarpone, 2 tablespoons of honey, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until smooth and spreadable.
Spread the mascarpone filling evenly over the cooled pastry case.
Arrange the halved or quartered figs over the mascarpone, cut-side up, packing them closely together.
Break the candied walnuts into irregular pieces and scatter over the figs. Drizzle with a little extra honey. Serve immediately, or within an hour of assembly.

Notes

The tart shell can be baked up to two days in advance and stored at room temperature in the tin, loosely covered. The mascarpone filling can be made the day before and refrigerated; return to room temperature before spreading. Do not assemble the tart more than one hour before serving: fresh figs release juice quickly and will make the mascarpone layer and pastry soggy if left to stand. For a richer version, fold 100ml of lightly whipped cream into the mascarpone filling.

The Gastrographer

Name: Black Mission Fig Tart
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 200 g plain flour; 25 g icing sugar; 0.25 tsp fine salt; 0.25 tsp coarsely ground black pepper; 120 g cold unsalted butter, cubed; 1 egg yolk; 2 tbsp ice-cold water; 350 g mascarpone, at room temperature; 2 tbsp good honey (wildflower or orange blossom), plus extra for drizzling; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 0.5 lemon, finely grated zest only; 400 g ripe Black Mission figs (or another ripe dark fig variety), halved or quartered; 60 g walnuts; 2 tbsp honey; 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control