Ingredients
- 500g block shortcrust pastry
- 6 fresh figs
- 6 hard toffees (we used Werther’s Originals)
- 1 egg , beaten with a little milk
- scattering golden caster sugar
- vanilla ice cream , to serve
Method
- STEP 1
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Roll the pastry out thinly on a floured surface. Cut out 6 circles using a small saucer (about 11-12cm diameter) and 6 circles about half the size.
- STEP 2
Cut the tops off the figs, squash them down gently with your hands and push a toffee into the centre of each fig. Place a fig in the middle of each large circle of pastry and brush the egg around the pastry border. Brush the top of the fig with a little egg and cover with the smaller circle of pastry. Pull the edges of the larger circle up and pinch to seal them over the fig to make a sort of purse. Place the little pies on a baking sheet. The pies can be prepared up to a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge or frozen for up to a month.
- STEP 3
Brush with the egg and scatter over the sugar. Bake the pies for 30-40 mins until golden and sticky. Leave to cool for 10 mins and serve hot, so when you break into them you get a pool of toffee fig sauce – perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
RECIPE TIPS
WHY NOT TRY
Eating figs as they do in Italy, as a starter, halved and draped with slices of prosciutto.
Goes well with
Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2006
