There is a short window every year when figs are actually good, and this is what I want to do with all of them.
It is a sheet of puff pastry, brie, fresh figs and honey. About ten minutes to put together and twenty in the oven, and it comes out looking like it took more effort than it did, which is exactly what I want when people are coming over.
I made it for the first time this week and it is going straight into the fall rotation.
What you need
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 4 to 5 fresh figs, sliced
- About half an 8 oz wheel of brie, sliced
- 1 egg, beaten
- A sprinkle of brown sugar
- Honey, for after
- Fresh thyme
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Lay the thawed pastry on parchment. Score a border about an inch in from the edge, going most of the way through but not all the way, then prick the inside of that border all over with a fork.
- Brush the border with the beaten egg.
- Lay the sliced brie and the figs inside the border in rows, alternating them.
- Sprinkle brown sugar over the figs and cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the border is deep golden and puffed and the cheese has gone soft.
- Drizzle with honey and scatter the thyme over the top. Serve warm.
A few things worth knowing
The docking is the whole trick. Pricking the center keeps it flat so everything sits where you put it, while the untouched border puffs up into a frame. Skip it and the middle rises and pushes your figs off.
The brown sugar goes on before it bakes and the honey goes on after. The sugar caramelizes in the oven. Honey would just burn, and you would lose the flavor you wanted it for.
Keep the pastry cold until it goes in. Thawed does not mean warm, and warm pastry does not puff.
Figs should be ripe enough to be sweet but firm enough to hold a clean slice.
This is best warm, within about twenty minutes of coming out. The pastry softens as it sits.
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