Sparkle Kitchen: Tiny Fig Tarts
In this week's By Thistle By Thimble story, “The Baker's True Home”, Angus Burnhope is a baker to the Parliament. He bakes pies and tarts for all the important gentlemen who help make the laws of the country. Angus enjoys his work well enough, but he feels lost and alone in the city. When he is invited up into the chambers of the Lord Chancellor of the Parliament, though, his simple life takes a surprising turn.
Oh, how I wish I was member of that parliament! Think how nice it would be to have a designated person to bring you a warm, gooey tart each afternoon. Think how much more cheerful the world would be if we all sat down to a slice of pie and a tall glass of milk.
You know, maybe we should write a law? Tarts and pies for everyone!
But, while we wait for some enterprising politician to think of that, you should try these adorable, tiny fig tarts instead.
If you start with store-bought puff pastry dough, these are easy as pie! (See what I did there?) And while I've used dried figs to top them, you could really sub-in just about any dried fruit, as long as it's one that retains a little gooeyness after it's dried. Think, dried apricots or—for a tarter tart—maybe even dried cranberries.
Tiny Fig Tarts (makes 30 small tarts)
Ingredients
About 10 dried figs
One sheet of puff pastry, thawed
⅓ cup fig jam
⅓ cup water
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and slice the dried figs into about ¼ inch rounds.
Spread the puff pastry on a large cutting board, and run a rolling pin over it a few times to smooth it out. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into about two inch squares. With a fork, prick several holes in the center of each pastry, avoiding the edges. This is called “docking”, and it will help the dough to stay flatter in the middle, allowing the edges to rise to make a crust.
Meanwhile, whisk the jam and water together in a small saucepan. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently to avoid scorching it. Reduce the jam until it's about the consistency of warm honey, then remove it from the heat.
Put a dollop of the jam mixture onto each square of pastry dough. Top that with a few fig slices, then add a little more jam. Bake the tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about fifteen minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
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About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
