Fig Tart with Mascarpone ~ Barley & Sage

Name: Fig Tart with Mascarpone
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Petit Beurre Crumbs (about 18 cookies); 1/2 cup pistachio flour (dry roasted unsalted pistachios); 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted); 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream; 8 ounces mascarpone cheese; 1/4 cup powdered sugar; 1 tablespoon honey; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 cup fig jam; fresh figs; champagne grapes; crushed pistachios; honey

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This fig tart has a pistachio butter cookie crust layered with fig jam and mascarpone cream, then topped with fresh fruit and honey! It's a super simple, elegant tart that makes a perfect dessert for any occasion!

fig mascarpone tart with honey and champagne grapes.

You might also like these fig olive oil cupcakes or this cranberry curd tart!

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Ingredient Notes
Step by Step Instructions
Recipe Notes
Recipe FAQ's
Tips for Success!
More Recipes You Might Like!
Recipe Card
Comments

Ingredient Notes

You just need a few ingredients to make this simple fig mascarpone tart!

labeled shot of ingredients for fig tart with mascarpone.

Pistachios - I like to add finely ground pistachios to the tart crust for a nutty flavor and crunchy texture! Dry roasted, unsalted pistachios work best! However, you could substitute almond flour or just leave out the pistachios all together.

Petit Beurre or Butter Keks - These are basically just European butter cookies! They're light, crispy, and buttery and make the perfect crust for a tart!! You can find them in the international aisle at your local grocery store and online. However, crushed graham crackers will also work well.

Mascarpone Cheese - Mascarpone is an Italian cheese that's very similar to American cream cheese. It's smooth and soft but more neutral in flavor compared to tangy cream cheese. And in my opinion, that mild flavor makes it much more versatile! But you can also just substitute cream cheese if that's all you can find!

Fig Jam - You can usually find fig jam in the cheese section at most grocery stores, Dalmatia is my favorite!

Fresh Figs - Depending on your grocery store/location, you can find figs all year! Some varieties are available in the spring/summer and others in the fall!

Champagne Grapes - These mini grapes are optional, but a lovely garnish for this fig tart! Champagne grapes (also know as black Corinth grapes or Zante currants) are a type of small grape that grow in tight clusters. They're sweet little flavor bombs that are perfect for eating alone or as a garnish for desserts, cheese boards, or glasses of champagne (hence the name). You can find champagne grapes at grocery stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts, or you can order them online from Melissa's Produce.

The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until you have about ½ cup of finely ground pistachio flour.

Then in the same food processor (no need to clean it out) pulse the petit beurre cookies until you have about 1 ½ cups of crumbs.

In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, ground pistachios, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Mix until it resembles wet sand.

adding melted butter to pistachio butter cookie crust.

Press the mixture into the bottom of the tart pan and slightly up the sides. Make sure it is tight and compact! You can use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to help pack down the crust.

tamping tart crust down with flat measuring cup.

Bake the crust at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until it's lightly golden brown and looks dried out.

Let the crust fully cool to room temperature before filling.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the heavy cream on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks.

In a separate bowl, beat together the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar until fully combined. Then add in the honey, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth.

Then gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cream and set aside.

creaming mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar.

In the bottom of the cooled pistachio tart crust, spread the fig jam into an even layer.

adding dollops of fig jam to tart crust.

Then top with the honey mascarpone cream and gently smooth into an even layer.

mascarpone filling spread on top of fig tart.

Let the fig tart chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up, then garnish with fresh sliced figs, champagne grape clusters, a sprinkle of crushed pistachios, and a drizzle of honey!

You can also add some sugared rosemary on top if desired!

fig tart with mascarpone, fresh figs, and mini grapes.

Recipe Notes

Most standard tart pans are about 1 inch deep. So if you're using a deep dish pan (1 ½ to 2 inches deep) this recipe will not yield enough filling to completely fill your pan and you may want to double it.

This recipe can be used to make a few different sizes of tart!

If you don't want to make the pistachio butter cookie crust, you can also use a classic pie crust recipe! Use ½ of my perfect pie crust to fill a 9.5 inch tart pan!

fig mascarpone tart with fig jam cut into slices.

Recipe FAQ's

How long does this fig tart last?

This fig mascarpone tart is best eaten the same day, but you can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days!

Tips for Success!

For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!

Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.

A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.