When you think of PB and J, you think of peanut butter. Nope, not this time. This recipe uses pistachio butter, its green cousin. It’s available in pretty much every supermarket now, so let’s use it in a tart, along with fig jam and some walnuts, orange blossom water and honey for a Middle Eastern twist on that classic combo of peanut butter and jelly.
Pistachio butter and fig jam tart
Prep 1 hr
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 4-6
For the pastry
260g plain flour
130g cold butter, cut into small pieces
Zest of 2 oranges
1 tsp mixed spice
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
100g pistachio butter
80g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
120g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
½ tsp orange blossom water
1 egg white
50g roasted walnuts, blitzed, plus more for the topping
50g roasted pistachios, blitzed, plus more for the topping
100g fig jam
For the topping
3 tbsp runny honey
50g white chocolate, melted
½ handful each walnuts and pistachios, crushed
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6, then start the pastry. Put the flour, butter, orange zest and mixed spice into a food processor, then blitz until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the egg yolk, icing sugar and the water, until the dough is just starting to come together. Tip it on to a lightly floured surface, give it a quick knead, then bring together into a smooth ball. Flatten the pastry into a thick disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Next, make the filling. Put all the ingredients apart from the nuts and jam into a food processor and blitz until smooth and creamy. Put a baking tray in the hot oven.
Take the pastry out of the fridge, put on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 2-3mm thick. Lift the pastry into a 20cm fluted tart tin and press it into the corners – be gentle – leaving a 1cm overhang. Trim the excess pastry with scissors, cover with baking parchment and baking beans, put the tin in the oven on to the baking tray, and bake for 18 minutes.
Remove the parchment and beans, and put the pastry back in the oven for another five to seven minutes. Take out of the oven and use a small serrated knife to trim the pastry to the height of the tin. Turn down the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
Spoon the jam on to the pastry and spread to the edges, top with the pistachios and walnuts, then cover with the filling, spreading to the edges to cover the fig jam. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the sponge is cooked and a skewer comes out clean.
While the tart is still hot from the oven, poke small holes in the surface and then very gently spread a drizzle of runny honey over the top. Cool the tart in the tin for 20 minutes, then put it on a wire rack to cool completely. Take the tart out of the tin, give it a good squiggle of white chocolate, and sprinkle with the extra nuts.
