Article: Fig & Honey Tartlets with Fig-Leaf Whipped Ganache

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Oct 5, 2026Almond

Fig & Honey Tartlets with Fig-Leaf Whipped Ganache

Crisp sweet tart shells, soft almond cream, caramelized fig compote, and a light fig-leaf whipped ganache made with Valrhona Opalys white chocolate. These fig and honey tartlets bring together the warmth of caramel, the freshness of seasonal figs, and a delicate fig-leaf infusion.

This recipe was taught by Chef Laurence Boris during a Pâtisserie Mon Amour French pastry workshop at the Sunset Club in Seattle.

Yield: 6–8 tartlets, using 8 cm (approximately 3-inch) tart rings
Make ahead: Start at least 24 hours ahead.
Dough chilling: At least 4 hours, then 20 minutes in the freezer once the rings are lined.
Bake time: About 20 minutes at 160°C / 320°F.
Ganache chilling: Overnight before whipping.

Equipment

8 cm (approximately 3-inch) tart rings
Piping bag and pastry tip
Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachments
Rubber spatula and whisks
Mixing bowls
Saucepan
Kitchen scale
Immersion blender
Baking sheets and parchment paper
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin, knife, and cutting board
Chinois or fine sieve for straining the infusion

Ingredients

Sweet tart dough (pâte sucrée)

125 g European-style butter, minimum 80% fat
26 g almond flour
3 g vanilla powder
86 g powdered sugar
50 g egg (approximately 1 large egg)
1 g salt
210 g all-purpose flour

Almond cream

50 g European-style butter, minimum 80% fat
50 g granulated sugar
50 g egg (approximately 1 large egg)
50 g almond flour
5 fresh figs, cut into pieces for the almond cream layer

Fig-leaf whipped ganache

310 g heavy cream, divided into 100 g and 210 g for preparing the ganache
3 fig leaves
3 g powdered gelatin
18 g cold water, for hydrating the gelatin
70 g Valrhona Opalys white chocolate
35 g honey

Roasted caramel fig compote

210 g fresh figs
15 g granulated sugar
10 g European-style butter, minimum 80% fat
8 g balsamic vinegar
2 g pomegranate molasses or grape molasses
15 g lemon juice
15 g honey

Assembly and finishing

Fresh figs for decoration, as needed
Neutral glaze, optional

Preparation ahead

Make the sweet tart dough at least 24 hours ahead. Cold is your ally: it helps the dough hold its shape during baking.
Plan the fig-leaf infusion and ganache chilling ahead. The cold-infusion method needs one overnight infusion followed by a second overnight rest for the prepared ganache.

Instructions

1. Fig-leaf whipped ganache

Choose one of the two infusion methods below.

Method 1: Warm infusion

Combine the powdered gelatin with the 18 g of cold water and let it hydrate.
Warm 100 g of the heavy cream with the chopped fig leaves and let infuse for 20 minutes.
Strain out the leaves, warm the infused cream again, and pour it over the white chocolate. Stir until smooth.
Stir in the hydrated gelatin and honey, then add the remaining 210 g of cold cream.
Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, whip until light and airy.

Method 2: Overnight cold infusion

Infuse the 3 fig leaves in all 310 g of heavy cream overnight.

t in the refrigerator.
The next day, strain through a chinois or fine sieve. With this method, there is no need to blend the leaves.
Combine the powdered gelatin with the 18 g of cold water and let it hydrate.
Separate 100 g of the infused cream and keep the remaining cream cold. Warm the 100 g portion, then pour it over the white chocolate. Stir until smooth.
Stir in the hydrated gelatin and honey, then add the remaining cold infused cream.
Refrigerate the prepared ganache overnight.
The next day, whip until light and airy.

2. Sweet tart dough

In the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all the sweet tart dough ingredients except the egg until sandy.
Add the egg and mix just until the dough comes together.
Fraise the dough on the counter: use the heel of your hand to briefly press and smear it until evenly combined.
Wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Roll to 2 mm thickness and line the 8 cm tart rings.
Freeze the lined tart shells for 20 minutes before baking.

3. Almond cream and baking

Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F.
Beat the butter with a spatula or paddle until smooth and pomade-like.
Add the sugar, egg, and almond flour, then mix.
Pipe 20 g of almond cream into each frozen tart shell.
Add 2–3 fig pieces to each tartlet and bake for about 20 minutes at 160°C / 320°F.
Let the tartlets cool before assembly.

4. Roasted caramel fig compote

Wash the figs and cut them into irregular pieces.
Make a dry caramel with the granulated sugar.
Deglaze with the butter.
Add the figs and cook gently.
Add the balsamic vinegar, molasses, lemon juice, and honey.
Cook for 3–4 minutes, keeping some fig pieces distinct for texture.
Spread on a tray to cool quickly, then chill for 30 minutes.

5. Assembly and finishing

Spoon a layer of cooled roasted caramel fig compote onto each tartlet.
Using a piping bag fitted with a tip, pipe the fig-leaf whipped ganache onto each tartlet.
Add a few pieces of fresh fig on top.
If desired, finish the fresh figs with a little neutral glaze.

Chef’s notes

Fig leaf is optional, but adds a delicate note between toasted coconut and fresh fig.
The sweet tart dough can be made up to 2 days ahead.
For the overnight cold infusion, strain the leaves without blending them.
Keep some pieces of fig in the compote for texture.

Bon appétit!

Written by Laurence Boris