Summer is a great time to whip up a tart or pie and starting with a good crust is a must. I purchased a Mama’s Pie Crust package to see if their claim for “light and flaky pie crust that tastes like the real thing” was really true. And the verdict…I concur. This gluten-free crust is flaky and delicious! The package makes two crusts, so you can make two pies, or a fruit pie that calls for a double crust. The recipe for Dried Fig & Wild Honey Tart only needed a small crust, so I only used a little over a 1/2 cup of the mix and compensated for the correct proportions of the other ingredients.
This past week my husband and I were out taking a walk through our yard. It’s fun this time of year to look for bird nests hidden among the trees. We came across one tucked down in the branches of a hawthorn tree. I was able to snag a few pictures before mama robin came screaming at me. She was not going to allow one more picture of her precious little ones waiting in the nest for a juicy worm! I almost got a picture of the worm in her mouth, but she flew away before I could snap it. I looked in the nest today and all the little birds had flown the nest. I hope they learned how to fly before our cat spotted them!
Last year we had a bird fly into our furnace pipe that had lost its covering. That was an expensive venture and a terrible outcome for the bird. Seven hundred dollars later, our furnace motor was free of bird carcass. We have covered the pipe and hope to not have a repeat of that event. If you haven’t checked your outside pipes and vents lately to make sure they are covered with a wire mesh, you may want to before the world is less of one bird or other small critter and your wallet is left a little thin.
Most of the recipes I create and post on my blog are fairly simple to make. This one is no exception and it looks pretty and tastes great!
If you don’t have a pastry cutter you can use a fork to cut the butter into the mix.
I usually add ice cubes to my water to make sure it is extra cold. Don’t over-work
the dough or it will become tough.
Dried Fig & Wild Honey Tart
Crust:
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp Mama’s gluten-free pie crust
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 an egg white
2 Tbsp very cold water
Filling:
1/3 cup mascarpone softened
1/3 cup fig jam
5 dried Mission figs cut in half length-wise
Swirls of wild honey
Place Mama’s flour into a small ball and cut butter with a pastry cutter. Add egg white, cold water and form a dough. Refrigerate until firm. Take firm dough and roll between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Gently place dough onto a small 5″ round mini pie plate. Work all air bubbles out with a spoon by running it along the edges. Place a layer of softened mascarpone on the bottom of the crust and a layer of fig jam onto the mascarpone. Cut the mission figs length-wise and arrange in a pretty design. Swirl the wild honey on top of the figs. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust comes out light and golden brown on the edges.
I shared this recipe on the following blogs. Check them out! RealFoodForager, SimplySugarandGlutenFree, DeliciousObsessions, GlutenFreeHomemaker, WellFedHomestead, AnyonitaNibbles
