I’m really excited to share today’s recipe with you. Let’s just call this fig week here at A Treat Life. The last post had figs, and the next one after this might too and maybe even the one after that (the season is fast and over soon.) And besides, I can’t get enough of them and I especially can’t get enough of this Honeyed Fig & Yogurt Tart. It’s true. I’ve made a few in the last couple weeks and making another one today as we speak.
In case you’re wondering what today’s tart might be for, or who it might be for, well, we are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary today. This guy’s actually been enduring my crazy self and lots of waiting to eat while I capture a picture of the food, or driving miles to try that special dish or newest dessert world creation for over 15 years. That’s a lot of not-so-warm-anymore meals and more importantly a lot of food adventures among many others. But he’s never complained and we’ve had a lot of fun over some amazing dishes and now have two hungry little additions to our team.
If you’ve followed along here at all or even if you’re fresh to the blog, it’s important to note, Mr. Treat Life, is a chocolate guy through and though. BUT the one exception to that might be today’s star ingredient, figs. He is crazy for figs and you can’t blame him. Growing up in Istanbul, he had yearly access to probably some of the best figs in the world. They’re so plump and sweet and delicious. I don’t think I had truly tasted a fig until in Istanbul myself. Because what I had in New York or Los Angeles, couldn’t really compare to those in Fig Land. And getting to live there for a couple years meant I had seasonal access to those wonders and my obsession became even greater. And as a result, I got to develop some pretty tasty recipes.
This tart, might be one of my favs among them. And the reason I decided to make this today besides not only the figs, is because the other ingredients highlight other familiar flavors that are a big part of Turkish culture. Honey is a much loved addition to the daily breakfast spread known as kahvalti, my favorite Turkish mealtime tradition. (I’ll be sharing a whole post on that soon.) And yogurt, while it is used differently than we do here in the states, not usually for breakfast but as a sauce on savory dishes or accompaniment to dinner, it’s very much a part of the cuisine. And there are so many different varieties to choose from.
The addtion of the pecans for the crust, well that’s adding a little bit of this Mexican-American girl to the mix-up. Pecans aren’t popular or easily available in Turkey as they originated in North America and Mexico. If I wanted to keep with the Turkish flavors, I might have gone the pistachio route, which is delicious in this too, but the pecans really work beautifully here and help make this truly a fall treat.
If there’s one more thing to note about this recipe, it’s how simple it is. Like crazy fast and easy to put together. It starts with the classic graham cracker crust with the addition of ground pecans pressed into a tart pan. Then gets baked for about 12 minutes and all the baking is done. The filling consisting of yogurt, cream cheese, a little honey, salt and orange liqueur can be whipped up quickly using a stand mixer or handheld mixer or you know what, even some arm muscle. Then chill that while the crust gets completely cooled. The filling then gets swirled into the crust, topped with the luscious fresh figs and a nice drizzle of honey before serving. That.Is.It. But the results are anything but simple.
If you can get your hands on some figs before they disappear from the stores (or your neighbors backyard,) I think they would be put to perfect use in this tart. Your family or friends will thank you and maybe even have a new favorite fruit. Happy Thursday and happy anniversary to my favorite turkey.
Honeyed Fig & Yogurt Tart
Ingredients
For the Pecan-Graham Crust:
- 1 cup (140g) graham cracker crumbs (8 graham cracker sheets)
- 1/2 cup (45g) pecans, finely chopped
- 2 tbsps (25g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 7 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (150g) cream cheese (or creme fraiche*), softened
- 1 cup (280g) Greek yogurt (I prefer whole-fat or low-fat for this)
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsps honey
- 1 tsp Grand Marnier (or Cointreau)
To Assemble:
- 6-7 fresh figs
- honey for drizzling
Instructions
For the crust:
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Preheat oven to 350F/ 177C.
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In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the pecans, salt and melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened and resemble wet sand. (Alternatively you can pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs, then add the pecans and pulse a few times until they are in small pieces.)
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Transfer the mixture to a tart ring or tart pan with a removeable bottom and, using your fingers, press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Chill for 15 minutes then bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and it no longer looks wet in the center. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the filling:
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While the crust is baking, beat the softened cream cheese with a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer until smooth and creamy and slightly fluffy. Add the yogurt and beat just until combined and smooth. Beat in the pinch of salt, honey and Grand Marnier. Taste for sweetness and adjust if necessary. Set in the refrigerator until the crust is completely cooled.
To Assemble:
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Once the crust has cooled completely, pour the filling in and evenly smooth out with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, creating pretty swirls. Place in the refrigerator.
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Slice the tip of the stems off the figs, and then slice into 4 or six wedges per fig (depending on the size of the fig and your desired thickness.) *To create some contrast, I cut about half the fig into thin slices, to fan out, and the rest into wedges. The decorating with the figs on top is really up to how you want to do it. Then set in the refrigerator for about two hours or more for the filling to chill and firm up.
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Then when ready to serve, drizzle a little honey on top of the whole tart, or on the individual slices. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Whole-fat Greek yogurt is the best for this so you don’t have a runny tart filling. If using a lower-fat yogurt, straining it with a cheesecloth or kitchen towel will help to remove any excess moisture.
*To make this vegan- swap the Greek yogurt with coconut yogurt or a similar non-dairy thick yogurt and replace the honey with maple syrup.
*Pistachios are a nice substitute for the pecans, and look pretty as a garnish on top if you go that route.
*If you use creme fraiche, you might need to add a little more honey.
