Honey roasted fig and earl grey infused Tarte

Sweet Paste:

• A pinch of golden caster sugar
• 8 oz. of diced cold butter
• 16 oz. of plain sieved flour
• 3 tbsp. of cold milk to bind

1. To begin this paste, in a large bowl sieve your flour and add your golden caster.
2. Add your diced butter to the flour and rub together to combine, this is a key step to making short pastry, as you want the flour and butter to be blended evenly.
3. Once blended add your touch of milk to bind.
4. Once ready and the bowl is clean, wrap your sweet paste in some cling film to relax, by allowing the dough to relax the gluten relaxes which helps when making Tarte cases.
5. Lay out your pop-bottom tarte cases and line with butter, to form a non-stick surface.
6. Allow your dough to room a little, portion into four and roll on either a floured surface or between two sheets of non-stick greaseproof paper.
7. Roll your dough out to the thickness of a one-pound coin, for me I prefer to have a thin crisp base to my tarte of Honey roasted fig and Early Grey.
8. Using a blunt knife cut your pastry and push into the tarte cases, for even pushing use a little of the dough from the trim to ensure that you have all of the dough pushed into the edges of the tarte case.
9. Blind bake with some grease proof paper and baking beans for an even bake.
10. By blind baking a tarte case you help to ensure that the case is waterproof and will be able to hold the filling.
11. Blind bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden, allow to cool completely in the tarte case before pushing out.  For this recipe once the tarte case is cooked gently line the tarte with the glaze of one egg, as this helps to ensure for a waterproof seal.

Early Grey infused custard:

• 2 whole free range eggs
• 2 oz of golden caster sugar
• 500 ml of double cream
• 100 ml of cold milk
• Zest of 3 lemons
• 1 crushed bay leaf
• Early Grey teabags x 5

1. In a glass bowl crack two eggs, then add your golden caster sugar and whisk to combine.
2. Next, add your double cream along with your milk, 1 crushed bay leaf, five Earl Grey teabags and the zest of 3 lemons. Bring to the boil and allow to infuse for at least 20 minutes. To extract every part of the Early Grey infusion when the 20 minutes is up use a potato masher or the back of a spoon and gently press down on the teabags, as this helps to give the infusion a beautiful caramel colour and Earl Grey flavour.
3. Pour your infused cream over your caster and egg yolk mixture whisking constantly.
4. Decant into a glass jug and pour into your blind baked tarte case, ensure that you fill the tarte case up to about half way.
5. Cook on gas mark 4 for 15-20 minutes until you have a soft wobble.

Honey Roasted figs:

1. To begin using a sharp paring knife, cross your figs and place into an oven tray with a good drizzle of honey.
2. Add these to a pre-heated oven of 160 degrees and cook until soft and golden. (this should take around 30- 40 minutes)
3. Once ready, remove from the pan and place onto a metal tray, lightly blow torch with a good dusting of caster sugar, as this will give the figs a beautiful texture and contrast.
4. Place onto your tarte when ready to serve, otherwise they will make the tarte go soft.

Garnishes:

• Bee pollen
• Locally sourced Bee Honey combs

To accompany this dish make a quick lemon Chantilly cream as this little note of sweetness and sour delivered from the lemon pairs exceedingly well with the floral notes which are found in Earl Grey.

To serve…
Slice your tarte, add a quenelle of your Chantilly cream, sprinkle over your bee pollen and lastly cut a cube of your honey bee comb.