DRIED FIG AND MARSALA TART

Dried Fig and Marsala Tart image

Figs soak up a Marsala wine caramel sauce as this tarte Tatin-inspired dessert bakes in the oven.

Provided by nigel slater

Categories HarperCollins Dessert Christmas Tart Fig Raisin Marsala Wine Fortified Wine Bake Butterscotch/Caramel Pastry Winter Christmas Eve

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

500g dried figs
50g golden raisins
100ml dry Marsala
100g natural raw granulated sugar
50g butter
For the pastry:
175g cold butter
225g all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp natural raw granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
To serve:
Heavy cream, ice cream, or crème fraîche
Special Equipment
You will also need a 24cm round Tatin tin or shallow, non-stick cake tin with a fixed base.

Steps:

Set the oven at 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Put the figs and raisins into a mixing bowl, pour over the Marsala and leave to stand for forty-five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Make the pastry:
Cut the cold butter into small cubes and rub into the flour, either with your fingertips or using a food processor. Work until you have what looks like coarse, fresh breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
Add the egg yolks to the butter and flour. Mix together until you have a soft dough, then turn out on to a floured board and knead briefly, for just a minute. Shape the dough into a smooth, fat cylinder. Wrap it in greaseproof paper or clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for thirty minutes.
Make the caramel:
Place the Tatin mould or a frying pan over a moderate heat. (If you will be baking the tart in a cake tin, use a frying pan to make the caramel, otherwise you will damage your tin.) Add the Marsala from the dried fruit, leaving the fruit behind in the bowl, then add the sugar. Bring to the boil and leave to form a thin caramel. If you are using a Tatin mould, remove from the heat. If you are using a cake tin, pour the caramel from the frying pan into the tin.
Assemble the tart:
Cut the butter into small cubes and scatter it over the caramel. Place the plumped-up figs on the base of the tin in a single layer (neatly or not, as you wish), then scatter over the raisins, pushing them into any gaps.
Roll out the pastry a little larger than the Tatin mould or cake tin. With the help of the rolling pin-it is very fragile-lift the pastry into the mould or tin, pressing it gently into place over the figs. Tuck in any overhanging pastry.
Bake in the preheated oven for about thirty minutes, until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to settle for ten to fifteen minutes. Place a large serving plate on top of the tart, then, using oven gloves, hold the tin and plate firmly and carefully turn them over, leaving the tart to slide out on to the plate. Serve warm with cream, ice cream or crème fraîche.