Ingredients

• 250g/9oz plain flour
• 125g/4½oz cold butter
• cubed
• 2 free-range egg yolks
• large pinch salt
• 1-4 tbsp water
• if needed
• plain flour
• for dusting
• 260ml/9½fl oz whipping cream
• 165g/5½oz cream cheese
• 3 big squidges of honey
• 1 tbsp Marsala (optional)
• 12–16 figs
• each cut into 6 pieces
• handful green shelled pistachios
• walnuts or pecans
• halved
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• ripped or roughly torn

Directions

• Put the flour and butter in a food processor and pulse to make breadcrumbs.
• Alternatively use your hands and rub the butter and flour together in a bowl until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolks and a pinch of salt
• and stir together with a knife. Press the mixture together into a ball. If the pastry feels very dry
• add a little water
• but try to avoid adding water if you can.
• Once the pastry is all pressed together
• wrap in cling film and pop it in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes
• remove the pastry from the fridge and set it aside to warm up a little (if you use it straight from the fridge and try to roll it out
• the pastry will just be a hopeless crumbly mess).
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface to the thickness of half a £1 coin and use it to carefully line a 20 x 30cm/8 x 12in rectangular fluted tin. Homemade pastry is often quite crumbly. Don’t be alarmed by this
• you can always patch it together in the tin.
• Take a small ball of the pastry (the size of a £1 coin) and use it to gently ease the dough down into the tin. Press the handle of a wooden spoon against the pastry all round the edges to coax it into the fluted grooves. Trim off the excess around the top and run a thin knife around between the pastry and the edge of the tin to loosen. Put in the fridge for about 15 minutes
• or until firm.
• Remove the tart from the fridge. Take a piece of baking paper slightly larger than the tin and scrunch it up
• then unscrunch it and line the tin with it. Fill it with baking beans or dried beans and ‘blind bake’ in the oven for 20–25 minutes
• or until the pastry feels sandy to the touch. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Put the cream in a bowl and whip until beginning to thicken. Put the cream cheese into a separate bowl and fold the cream into the cream cheese. Mix with the honey and Marsala
• if using. Put the filling in the tart case
• then arrange the figs on top and scatter over the nuts and mint.