- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 stick butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup iced water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 whole Camembert cheeses, broken into pieces
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 4 ripe figs, halved
- Seasoning
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
- Large bunch chopped flat leaf parsley
- Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Dice butter and add to a Cuisinart with flour and salt. Pulse gently until it is like damp sand. Very slowly pour enough iced water in to bring the dough together. Cover in saran wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
- Grease a 9″ tart pan with removable base. Lay pastry on top gently, press into all corners, trim off excess. Prick base all over with a fork. Chill in fridge while making filling.
- Gently heat the cream on the stove with the thyme, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Drop Camembert pieces into cream. Remove from heat while cheese melts.
- Blind bake the pastry crust by lining it with greaseproof paper, pouring in either dry beans or rice, and cooking in oven for 8-10 minutes. When just below boiling point, break up the Camembert using your fingers and drop it into the cream. Turn off the heat and allow the cheese to melt.
- While the tart is blind baking, crack 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg into a bowl and slowly pour the cream mixture over them, stirring all the time so as not to cook the eggs with the hot liquid. Season well with salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Cut the figs in half.
- Turn the oven down to 320. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and place the 8 fig halves cut-side up. Make sure this is done in a way that when the tart is sliced, each portion has its own fig.
- Place the pastry case back into the oven and cook for 20- 25 minutes, or until the mixture has set.
- Once cooked, leave to cool for about half an hour before slicing and serving with the vinaigrette.
- Prepare the dressing while the tart is cooking. Chop the hazelnuts and the parsley. Combine in a bowl with the Dijon mustard, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper before slowly adding in the olive oil, mixing all the time until smooth, then drizzle over tart.