Honey Mascarpone Fig Tart

Honey mascarpone fig tart has a creamy, no-bake honey mascarpone filling spread into a delicious speculoos crust.  This tart is topped with fresh figs, toasted almonds, and a drizzle of honey for a beautiful presentation.

Every year it seems as though fig season is just too short.  Just when you begin to enjoy them and find some new and exciting recipes to make with them, the season is over.  But while we are still in the midst of fig season, I want to share with you my honey mascarpone fig tart.  It’s so simple to make using only 8 ingredients.  The crust is made of delicious speculoos cookie crumbs (cinnamon spiced Belgium cookies) and a no bake creamy, lightly sweetened filling.  This tart is finished with fresh figs, nuts and honey for a beautiful presentation.

How to select and use fresh figs

Fresh figs can range in color and size.  They can be brown, purple, black, green or yellow, any of which would work for this honey mascarpone fig tart.   When selecting figs, select ones that are dry with unblemished skin.  They should be soft to the touch yet hold their shape when gently squeezed.  Avoid selecting figs that are too ripe because are very delicate and will not slice nicely for a garnish.

Store ripe fresh figs in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature to serve.  Under-ripe figs can be stored at room temperature for 1 or 2 days to allow the flesh to soften and ripen.

Figs are delicious eaten right off the tree, however, this is not an option for everyone.  In season they are readily available in most supermarkets.  The entire fruit is edible but can peeled if you prefer.  For this tart, wash your figs, gently pat dry, trim the stems and slice in half.

Speculoos cookie crust

Making a speculoos crust is just like making a traditional graham cracker crust but using a different cookie.  If you haven’t tried them, speculoos cookies are delicious!  And if you love them then you for sure have to try speculoos spread (Trader Joe’s carries it as cookie butter).  Basically a cinnamon spiced cookie in a spread form.  And if you’re in love with the flavor then you have to try my s’more crème brûlée.  But for now, back to making the crust for this honey mascarpone fig tart.

For this recipe about 1 1/4 boxes of speculoos cookies from Trader Joe’s can be used.  Place cookies into a food processor fitted with the blade and pulse until cookies are crushed into fine crumbs.  Mix with sugar and salt and then add melted butter and mix until well combined.  Press into a removable tart pan (no need to grease the pan) and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F/176°C oven.

How to make honey mascarpone filling

The filling for this tart is simple to make (no baking required).  Always begin with room temperature mascarpone cheese, otherwise you will have lumps in your filling.  Beat the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar together until well mixed before adding in the honey.  It’s easiest to use a mixer for this, but can also be done by hand using a whisk or wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form (just like making homemade whipped cream but without adding the sugar or vanilla).  Again, this is easiest using a mixer but can be whipped by hand with a whisk.  It requires a little more effort and patience but it can easily be done by hand.

Finally, gently fold half of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture using a rubber spatula and then fold in the other half.  It’s as simple as that!

Putting it all together

Now that you have all the compotes of the honey mascarpone fig tart made, it’s time to put it all together.  The freshly mixed filling can be spread evenly into the cooled speculoos cookie crust.  I love using my off set spatula to easily and evenly spread the mixture.  I then top the tart with a border of fresh figs sliced in half.  But this is where you can get creative.  You can certainly cover a larger portion of the tart with figs or create a specific design.  Finally, I sprinkle toasted almonds over the figs followed by a drizzle of honey.  If you do not like almonds you can substitute a nut of your choice.  Pistachios would go really well with these flavors.  It’s fun putting together and the presentation will surely impress you friends and family.

Love tarts?  Try these other recipes…

• Raspberry almond tart
• Lemon tarts
• Apple tart
• Meyer lemon tarts

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