Smoked Honey & Roasted...Smoked Honey & Roasted Fig Tart with Goat Cheese Mousse

A sophisticated, Michelin-level dessert balancing the earthy sweetness of smoked honey-roasted figs with a velvety, tangy goat cheese mousse, set in a delicate pine nut sablé crust.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the pine nut sablé, combine ground pine nuts, flour, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold cubed butter with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and bind the mixture into a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

2. 02

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Roll out the chilled sablé dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a 3mm thickness. Line six 8cm loose-bottomed tartlet tins, prick the bases with a fork, and freeze for 10 minutes.

3. 03

   Blind bake the tartlet shells lined with parchment and baking weights for 12 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool completely.

4. 04

   Bloom the gelatin sheet in cold water for 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat 50ml of heavy cream with 20g of smoked honey and the rosemary sprigs until steaming. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for 10 minutes. Strain, discard the rosemary, squeeze excess water from the gelatin, and dissolve it into the warm cream mixture.

5. 05

   In a blender, combine the warm infused cream, goat cheese, and a pinch of salt until perfectly smooth. In a separate bowl, whip the remaining 150ml of heavy cream to soft peaks, then gently fold it into the goat cheese mixture. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and chill for 1 hour to set.

6. 06

   Arrange the halved figs cut-side up on a baking tray lined with parchment. Drizzle with the remaining smoked honey. Roast in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10-12 minutes until soft and caramelized. Let cool to room temperature.

7. 07

   To assemble, pipe a generous layer of the goat cheese mousse into the bottom of each cooled tartlet shell. Artfully arrange the roasted figs on top, drizzle with the residual warm syrup from the baking tray, garnish with micro-basil and Maldon sea salt flakes, and serve immediately.