Looking for a simple dessert to show off your summer figs? This easy cream cheese fig tart perfectly highlights ripe, syrupy figs and lets you enjoy them at their prime!
This fig tart is so easy to make and uses common ingredients that you might have on hand! It was an instant crowd-pleaser because of the flaky puff pastry, tangy cream cheese, sweet figs, and fruity honey.
I was seeing figs everywhere on social media when I realized that I have never officially tried this mysteriously photogenic fruit. I say “officially” because my family claims we tried them in Europe last year but I could not recall the flavor. Therefore, I just had to purchase some at Whole Foods to experiment with!
Figs have a likable but nuanced flavor, balancing between syrupy and perfumed. They’re great on their own, but I wanted to find a way to showcase their beautiful color and texture. However, they’re such a unique fruit and I didn’t want to end up baking them or pairing them with an overpowering flavor. Incorporating them into a savory dish was out of the question because I have a slight aversion to fruits in savory dishes…
I decided to keep it simple and highlight these figs on a backdrop of a cream cheese tart. I saw ideas for pairing figs with goat cheese but I thought that flavor would come off too strong. Instead, cream cheese would keep the figs on the dessert side yet still bring that contrasting tang.
I conveniently had a box of pre-made puff pastry which was PERFECT as a blank canvas for this dessert. Feel free to use your favorite puff pastry recipe but using a pre-made one saved a lot of time!
How to Make It
The recipe calls for mixing the cream cheese with sugar and (optional) lemon zest to create a tart base. Spread the mixture on the sheets of puff pastry, leaving an edge so that you can roll it up. Bake at 400°F until puff pastry is golden, around 15 minutes. Next, bake at 350°F for another 10 minutes until it is completely cooked through.
After the tart cools, top with freshly sliced figs and drizzle with honey to accentuate the sweetness – I used clover honey. Be sure to serve this cream cheese fig tart fresh to enjoy everything that the figs have to offer!:)
Cream Cheese Fig Tart
Ingredients
- 1 17.3 oz box puff pastry 2 sheets
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp sugar
- lemon zest, optional
- 1 lb fresh figs around 12 small figs
- honey, for drizzling
Instructions
- Mix cream cheese, sugar, and optional lemon zest together in a bowl using a wooden spoon or whisk.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Unroll puff pastry and cut each sheet in half to yield 4 pieces and place on baking sheet.
- Divide cream cheese mixture evenly between the tarts and spread in a thin layer, leaving space on the edges. Roll up the edges of the pastry to make a ½ inch border around the tart. Bake for 15 minutes. Then, lower the heat to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
- While tart is baking, slice or quarter figs into bite-sized pieces. Top cream cheese tart with figs and drizzle with honey. Serve at room temperature or chilled.