Baked fig tart

One of Gumnut Patisserie’s best sellers is their baked fig tart. You can substitute the tart with strawberries, but it’s hard to go past fresh figs when they are in season. Head chef Tracy Nikl of Gumnut loves this dish, adding that the simple dishes are often the best.

• serves

  6

• prep

  1:30 hour

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 10 figs, cut into wedges (alternatively, use
• 250 g strawberries, cut in half)

Sweet dough

• 110 g butter, softened
• 110 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 240 g flour
• 2.5 g baking powder
• vanilla bean (optional)

Clafoutis mix

• 4 eggs
• 35 g caster sugar
• 165 ml pouring cream
• ½ tbsp kirsch

Drink match Campbells Rutherglen Topaque NV, Rutherglen, Vic

"Surely a more satisfying and life-affirming dessert would be hard to find. And to match it you’d do well to go for something equally soothing for the soul. With the eggy, creamy mixture, the rich pastry and the delicious baked figs you need a wine with sufficient richness and texture but not overbearing sweetness. Campbells Rutherglen Topaque (formerly known as Tokay) is the perfect candidate because of the complementary fig and toffee flavours and wonderful structure that shows just enough acid to carry the day." - Dan Coward

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

To make the sweet dough, combine the butter and sugar together in a mixer. Add the egg, and scrape down the sides. Add the dry ingredients and again scrape down the sides. Rest for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough, remembering to roll in different directions with your rolling pin. Carefully lay the pastry over a pastry ring, 20 cm x 2 cm, on a lined, flat baking tray, ensuring there are no cracks or holes in the pastry. If there are cracks, lightly bake the case blind for five minutes with baking beans. Egg wash the case and bake without the beans for a further 2 minutes.

For the clafoutis mix, crack the eggs into a bowl. Whisk in the caster sugar, followed by the cream and kirsch. Line the tart base with fresh figs, cut side up.

Pour over the clafoutis mix. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the clafoutis mix is just set.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.