More Figs, More Mascarpone

With another package of figs, some more mascarpone to be used, and a couple of get-togethers, I've been experimenting on my friends.

First, I had about 3 figs that were getting ripe before the others--certainly ripe and ready to use, but not yet overripe--so I removed as much of the thin fuzzy skin as I could by gently scraping with a paring knife (which worked nicely) and cut the soft figs roughly. That was mixed with about 1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese.



The result: a sweet-but-not-too-sweet spread just right for crackers. I failed to add an appropriate garnish--in fact I couldn't think of anything I wanted to add that I had around the house. Nuts would have been too much. Perhaps a sprinkle of fresh mint would have been nice. But even without a garnish, it was a yummy snack.

Next, when the remaining figs in the fridge were ready for use and an opportunity to share them yet again for movie night at a friend's house, it was time to make a tart. I rolled out a sheet of thawed frozen puff pastry and baked it off at 400*F (as directed by the puff pastry package). I tried docking (poking all over with the tines of a fork) the center so there would be a pastry rim and a flatter section for the filling, but during baking it didn't work at all--the whole sheet puffed up. As the cooked pastry cooled, I pressed the center section down and it worked just fine that way. I took a whole cup of mascarpone and mixed it with 1/4 cup of sugar replacer and 1/4 cup of hazelnut-flavored sugar-free non-dairy coffee creamer (but you could use cream, half-and-half or milk). That was spread on the puff pastry and topped with cut-up figs. A sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts finished the tart and gave a nice crunch.



The result: One of the guests at movie night hates figs, but took a small taste. And then another. Finally, she said that she quite liked the tart in spite of the figs! I can think of no higher praise than that. I found the tart very tasty with a pleasing texture. Even though the mascarpone cream was a bit thin, it held up beautifully on the tart base for several hours at room temperature.

Both were delicious and company-worthy snacks with minimal preparation time. The flavor was outstanding for both--but the tart really had that wow factor.

Cream cheese could replace mascarpone for a more economical option, and I'm sure it would be good--but the mascarpone had people rolling their eyes and asking, "What is in this?" It's about $3.49 for an 8-ounce (1 cup) container, and worth every penny when you're looking for a show-stopping, eye-rolling treat.

Experiments can be such fun!