Ricotta Fig Tart With Bourbon Sauce

Sometimes, and this is one of those times, I’m not entirely clear on the difference between a pie and a tart. I know, generally, the difference between the two (I think). Pies are usually deeper, have a flaky crust, and are normally served in the pan they are baked in. Tarts meanwhile have a more firm crust. They usually have straight edges, are more shallow, and are usually removed from their pans before serving. This Ricotta Fig Tart is bordering on pie, but I’ll stick with calling it a tart!

Whether you call it a pie or a tart, the combination of whipped ricotta, figs, raspberries, and a quick bourbon syrup is 100% delicious.

It’s kind of hard to find fresh figs unless you happen to be in California where they are pretty abundant during the summer months. Don’t fret though if you can’t find any good ones at your store. You can substitute dried figs (reconstituted) or you could substitute other fresh fruit, but personally I think the figs are the best choice. If you don’t use figs though, you might want to up the sugar in the filling a bit. The filling is not particularly sweet because the figs are really sweet.

Fresh Fig Tart

Print Pin

4.25 from 4 votes

Author: Nick Evans

Servings: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

A delicious and easy dessert! This fresh fig tart has a whipped ricotta layer topped with fresh fruit and a light bourbon sauce.

Equipment

• 1 Pie Pan

Ingredients 

• 8-10 figs, sliced
• 6 ounces approximately of fresh raspberries
• 1 Cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Cup ricotta cheese
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• ½ Teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ Teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Bourbon Butter Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• ½ Cup sugar
• ¼ Cup bourbon
• ¼ Cup water

Almond Pie Crust:

• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• ½ Cup almond flour
• 8 Tablespoons 1 Stick butter
• ½ Teaspoon salt
• ½ Teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons very cold water

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• For the pie crust:
• Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the butter and slowly add the water.
• Roll this into a ball and then stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Roll it out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie pan, poke a bunch of holes in the bottom and around the sides with a fork to make sure the crust doesn’t puff up while baking.
• Press a layer of foil into the crust and fold it around the edges to hold the crust in shape.
• Bake this at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown. As soon as you pull it out of the oven, gently lift off the foil. If the bottom is still kind of soggy, bake for 5 more minutes. The crust needs to be completely cooked before filling it.
• Cool completely before filling.
• Finishing the Tart:
• Add the cream to a large bowl and whisk until it begins to turn stiff.
• Gently stir or fold in the ricotta and all the spices.
• Once it is all mixed up, you can fill the pie crust with the mixture. Make sure the pie crust is completely cool before filling it.
• Wash the fruit and dry them thoroughly. If you are using dried figs, reconstitute them in steaming hot water for 30 minutes. Then dry and slice.
• Arange around pie on top of filling.
• Optional Bourbon Sauce:
• Melt the butter in a sauce pan and stir in the sugar, bourbon, and water. Let that simmer together and reduce until the sugar is completely dissolved. Maybe 5 minutes. It should be slightly syrupy.
• Let it cool before coating the dessert. Drizzle it on the fruit-topped dessert.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 741IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Making the Fig Tart Crust

This is very much a pie crust recipe which really shifts the debate toward “pie” for this dessert. The crust uses almond flour which makes it flakier, but also easier to crack. Don’t worry about it if the crust cracks a bit while baking.

After your almond flour is mixed with salt and flour, cut in your butter and add ice cold water like a normal pie crust. I found that this dough came together really easily.

At some point you’ll end up with a mixture that will easily hold together if you press it.

Roll this into a ball and then stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes. That will keep the butter into nice chunks. Then roll it out onto a lightly floured surface.

This crust rolls easily but it is also delicate. Don’t worry if it cracks a bit while you are moving it into your pie pan.

I used just a normal pie pan for this because that’s what I had on hand. I poked a bunch of holes in the bottom and around the sides with a fork to make sure that it doesn’t puff up while baking.

After doing that, I was still worried that it was going to puff up while baking so I pressed some foil on the top of the crust to help it keep it in place.

Bake this at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown. As soon as you pull it out of the oven, gently lift off the foil. If the bottom is still kind of soggy, bake for 5 more minutes. The crust needs to be completely cooked before filling it.

After it comes out and is golden brown, make sure to cool it completely before filling.

Making the Ricotta Tart Filling

This filling is really simple. Add your cream to a large bowl and whisk until it begins to turn stiff. Also known as whipped cream people. Don’t over whip it or you’ll be staring at a bowl of butter.

Then gently stir or fold in your ricotta and all the spices. Adjust this to your tastes, but I found this to be a good balance. The filling was really light but still had some spice to it. When mixing in the ricotta and spices try to keep it really light. Gentle is good here.

Once it is all mixed up, you can fill your pie crust with the mixture. It should fit perfectly.

Making the Bourbon Syrup (optional)

I wanted something light to drizzle over my tart and a bourbon syrup seemed like a good idea. This is completely optional. The tart is great without it but the butter bourbon combo just kicks it up a notch. You could also use rum!

Just simmer everything together until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reduces by about half. That should take 5-6 minutes and any alcohol will cook off during that time as well. Then let this syrup cool in the fridge until you’re ready to drizzle.

Can I use Fresh or Dried Figs?

You can use either fresh or dried figs for this recipe. Dried figs are available year around and easy to reconstitute by placing them in steaming hot water for about 30 minutes. Fresh figs are the best if you can find them!

I used dried on this particular day and they work great.

Once my figs were reconstituted they had close to the same texture as fresh figs.

Finishing the Ricotta Fig Tart

Make sure your pie crust is completely cool before filling it. In fact, I put mine in the fridge so it was actually cold. If it is at all warm, your filling will just melt like ice cream on asphalt.

Slice your figs into coins and place them around the tart alternating with the raspberries. Finish the tart with a light drizzle of bourbon syrup!

This Ricotta Fig Tart was very good and at the end of the day. It’s best to let it chill in the fridge for a few hours after assembling it so the flavors can set a bit, but it’s fine to serve it right away also. The filling might just be a little loose if you serve it right away.

Anybody a fig fan?! Leave a comment!

Here are a few other great Pie and Tart recipes!

• Heirloom Tomato Tart
• Chef Symon’s Choco Pumpkin Pie
• Lemon Buttermilk Pie
• Apple Cardamom Pie from Cloudy Kitchen