Fresh Fig Raspberry Tart with Honey

“Wow,” was all my guests could say.

The combination of fig, raspberries, honey, and almond all made for a very delightful summer dessert. The tart dough is very simple and comes together quite easily in the food processor. It’s a perfect base for the figs and raspberries.

I did, however, use more than 1/4 cup of raspberry jam. It was more like 1/2 cup, and even this was a very thin layer of jam.

Beautiful showstopper of a dessert for the height of summer. Fresh figs and raspberries are a perfect pairing.

The pastry shell doesn’t take much time and could easily be done ahead, and once that’s prepared, you can fill with the fruit and serve 8 generously, 12 if you want to be more modest. Best the day of assembly and still delicious the next day (though the crust on the bottom will absorb the jam a bit more) and nicely served with a small dollop of ricotta because that always pairs well with fresh figs.

Mission figs were ideal for this, smaller and sweeter than other varieties, but I would absolutely make this again with green Kadotas.

If you’re making this on a hot day, as I did, a little help from parchment paper will make getting the dough evenly spread and released from your tart pan. I used a 9-inch round as well as butter, making sure the sides were lightly but thoroughly coated, and as I pressed the dough out and started to come up the sides, to even out the crust as flat as possible (because hand pressing can be uneven), with the top parchment still in place, I placed an 8-inch round of parchment paper on the top of the pastry and gently pressed a metal pie plate (one that sloped in and fit nicely inside) down to make it evenly thin over all the bottom and sides. I actually left that on to protect the crust while it was in the freezer.

Remember to remove the parchment before baking, but it’s fine to freeze (and give it an hour if your kitchen is warm). When you remove your pie weights and the foil, you may want to cover the crust with pie guards or foil for the last 10 to 11 minutes so the crust is even. I also added an additional fork prick at that point where there was a slight bubble (but don’t worry— jam will cover that!).

It released beautifully from the pan, and confirmed my habit of using parchment on the bottom, so you never have to try and cut your tart in the pan (bad for the pan and the tart!)

I searched long and hard for actual “jam” on the grocers shelf (as opposed to preserves, fruit spreads, and other definitions), and reluctant to use Smuckers, had purchased Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserve, but luckily I found I had a jar of Happy Girl Kitchen jam at home already (they are a well known artisanal jam and pickle maker and actually the only real cannery operating near Cannery Row).

After completely cooling the tart, I proceeded with jam and fruit and let it sit 2 hours before removing and serving. It just slid right up and off the sides of the pan perfectly!! The bottom slid off the tart bottom without any effort (though I was prepared with a cake spatula) and slid it onto my cutting board.

Last crust detail: This is a crust worth eating!!!

This is special enough to bring to a party.

I brought this to a friends house for an afternoon tea and everyone loved it. The recipe overall was delicious.

In order for the tart to look EXACTLY like the picture, I needed to increase the amount of figs from 12 to 16. This will ensure a fuller looking tart as seen in the picture. Based on the timing provided, my crust was overdone in the middle. I’m not sure if my oven runs hot, but next time, I would reduce the temp to 350°F.