Orange tarts with coconut and fig
I know this combination of oranges and figs feels more like a late autumn/early winter treat than now, where it is freezing cold and the end of winter is in sight at least here in my neck of the woods. To top it I made it with an elderflower-fig jam I made in the early autumn, and I will give you that recipe as it is so good, but I am also adding a jam using dried figs I often make when the ripe figs have come and gone.
I have sometimes been told that my flavour combinations “simply are not done. One does not pair tropical fruits with e.g. Scandinavian fruits, blackcurrant and pineapple should not be on the same plate!” - no matter how delicious they are together. Im not sure where figs, coconuts, elderflower and orange would be on the objective scale of “chocolate mousse” to “ramson ice cream” (I did try that. I will never do it again. Ever.), but it is one of my own personal favourite combos. I hope you will like it too.
Orange tarts with coconut cremeux and fig & elder flower jam
Makes six 10cm tarts
1 portion Sweet shortcrust, baked in six 10cm tart rings
Fresh fig & elderflower jam
500g ripe figs
225g sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
50ml elderflower cordial
Remove stalks from the figs and roughly chop them. Place them in a bowl with the elderflower cordial, sugar and 50ml of water and leave to macerate overnight. Transfer to a saucepan and cook the figs over low heat for 5-10 minutes, until they start to release their juices. Add the lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium low heat. Boil for about 10 minutes, until the jam thickens and temperature reads 104-105C on a sugar thermometer. Remove from heat and pour into sterilised jars.
Dried fig & elderflower jam
250g dried figs
200g sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
50ml elderflower cordial
150ml boiling water
Remove stalks from the figs and roughly chop them, add them to a bowl with the boiling water and elderflower cordial and leave to hydrate for 30 minutes.
Transfer to a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the sugar and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, add the lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Boil for about 15 minutes, until the jam thickens. Remove from heat and pour into sterilised jars.
Coconut cremeux
2 leaves gelatine, about 3,5g
50g egg yolks
50g whole egg
50g caster sugar
150g full fat coconut milk
50g butter at room temperature
2g salt
Soak gelatin in cold water until softened; about 10 minutes.
Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, salt and coconut milk over a bain-marie until thickened and the mixture reads 84C on a thermometer. Remove from heat, queeze out excess water from the gelatin and whisk into the custard. Let cool to 35C before adding the butter and emulsifying with a hand blender. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until completely cooled.
Madeleine biscuit
2 eggs
120g sugar
85g butter
50g milk
110g flour
5g baking powder
1g salt
Preheat oven to 150C.
Whisk together eggs and sugar until ribbon stage in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, about 10 minutes.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, remove from heat and mix with the milk. Sieve together the flour, salt and baking powder and fold into the egg mixture. Fold in the milk and pour the batter into a jelly roll pan lined with baking paper.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, cool completely before flipping onto a clean piece of parchment paper.
Assembly
10-12 cara cara or navel oranges
Cut the tops and bottoms off the oranges, then cut off the peel. Fillet the oranges and place the orange segments on a piece of kitchen towel to remove excess juices.
Cout six rounds of Madeleine biscuit, about 9cm diameter, and place at the bottom of the tart shells.
Spread a thin layer of fig jam on top of the biscuit, pipe the cremeux on top and spread out with a palette knife.
Arrange the orange segments on top of the coconut cremeux and in a circle beginning at the outside working towards the middle.