Fig and ricotta tart with amaretti crust

This stylish fig and ricotta tart, with its exceptional amaretti biscuit case, will steal the show. The ricotta and cream cheese filling, scented with vanilla, is topped with plump figs, making this dessert a delightful finale to a lazy afternoon in the garden.

Ingredients

Serves 8–10

40 minutes to prepare, 8–10 minutes to cook, and 2 hours to chill

5 oz salted butter, softened

2 tsp plain flour

10.5 oz crisp [not soft] amaretti or ratafia biscuits

18 oz full-fat cream cheese, chilled

12 oz ricotta cheese, drained and chilled

½ cup superfine sugar

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped

2 tbsp amaretti liqueur

1 lemon, finely grated zest

About 16 ripe figs, trimmed and quartered

The Homes & Gardens method

1. Start with the biscuit case. This can be made up to three days ahead of time and kept in the tin or dish in a sealed container. Preheat the oven to 340°F, gas mark 3. Use 0.5 oz butter to evenly coat a 9-inch diameter tart tin or dish (this tin at Amazon will give you pretty fluted edges), with a removable base if you would like to unmould the tart before serving. Dust the flour over the butter, tapping away any excess away. Melt the remaining 4.5 oz of butter and set aside.
2. Finely crush the amaretti biscuits with a rolling pin or by careful use of the pulse button in a food processor. They need to be fine, but still a bit rubbly. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the melted butter thoroughly. Press this mixture into the tart tin, being very firm, and making sure it's really pressed in, right up to the sides.
3. Bake on a baking tray, for 8–10 minutes, until slightly darker in color. Let cool for five minutes, then, if turning it later, very gently release the warm case from the tart tin using a small knife at the edges, just to check it isn't stuck. Let it cool (in the tin) completely.
4. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, vanilla seeds, amaretti liqueur, and lemon zest together in a mixing bowl. Carefully release the tart from the tin, if doing so, and transfer to a serving plate. Top with the quartered figs in concentric circles, working from the outside in. Serve in slices.

You might also like to try another tart recipe that's perfect for the season: our lemon cheesecake tart is easy to make and perfect for those who prefer a fruity bake to something super sweet.