Fig & Custard Tart

For the Pastry

1. Sieve the flour and icing sugar into a bowl, then add the cubed butter and a pinch of salt.
2. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly, sandy texture with no large chunks of butter remaining.
3. Alternatively, you can use a food processor and blitz until you achieve the same consistency.
4. Add the milk, a splash at a time and gently mix with your fingertips until the dough starts to clump together. If it’s a little dry, add more milk.
5. Shape the dough into a flattened disc then set aside in the fridge to cool wrapped in cling film for at least half an hour.
6. Lightly flour your work surface and begin rolling out your dough, making sure you rotate the dough after a few rolls to ensure it isn’t sticking to the bench. If it is, add a little more flour.
7. Roll into a semi uniform circle that is about 3mm thick and about 5-10cm larger than your pan. If your tin has higher sides, allow for extra leeway when cutting your dough.
8. Carefully drape the pastry into the tin and with any leftover pastry scraps or with the back of your knuckle, press the pastry into the corners of the tin (and ridges if the tin is fluted) so the edges will be nice and sharp once baked.
9. Dock the base of the pastry all over with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife.
10. Cut the remaining pastry from the rim then set in the freezer or fridge for 20 minutes or 1 hour respectively.
11. Cover the pastry with alfoil, making sure it’s moulded to the shape of the dough then fill with either uncooked rice, beans or pastry weights.
12. Bake in a 180˚C oven for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and place back in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until nicely golden and cooked through.

For the Fig Jam

1. Pull the stems off the figs, then place in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Alternatively, you can mash or puree the figs if you would like the jam smoother.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to and leave it to simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally, or until its, thick, jammy and the figs have broken down. You can add more water during the process if it evaporates before the figs fully soften.
3. Set aside to cool in the fridge.

For the Pastry Cream

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until it just comes to a simmer.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, corn starch, and a pinch of salt until pale and smooth.
3. While whisking, slowly pour at least half of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. The goal here is to gently bring the egg yolks to the same temperature as the milk to prevent any overcooked pieces of yolk in the final custard.
4. Pour this mixture back into the milk pan (or remaining milk if you only decanted half) and whisk constantly for about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens and just begins to bubble. Don’t take it too far as you’ll overcook the eggs an leave you with scrambled egg like consistency through the custard. If you have a thermometer, you want to take it to 80-85˚C. Fun fact: you want to also make sure you reach at least 80˚C because egg yolks contain a protein called amylase which breaks down carbohydrates. Amylase is denatured at a certain temperature, which if you don’t reach, will cause the eggs to break down the starch in the flour, leaving you runny custard over time.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until fully incorporated, then transfer to a bowl and leave to cool in the fridge.

Assembly

1. Once all of the components are ready and cooled, you can begin assembling the tart. Begin by spreading about a 1cm layer of the jam/compote in the base of the tart. Give the custard a whisk to loosen it, then spread on top of the jam. Finish with the sliced figs and serve!
2. Note: The tart can sit for a few hours but I wouldn’t leave it overnight as the pastry will soften. If you plan on pre-preparing it, you can brush the inside of the cooked tart with melted chocolate before assembling.