My husband and my kids love Pop Tarts. I feel like as a good mom, I should object to the sugary breakfast full of preservatives. Afterall, my kids eat enough junk as it is, so at least in my mind, I would like them to start the day with something healthy. But, no matter how much I object, Pop Tarts seems to always find their way into my pantry and into everyone’s breakfasts. So sometimes, you have to know when to throw in the towel, when to choose your battles; and unfortunately this is one battle that I am always out numbered on. If I can’t beat ’em, then I suppose I have to choice but to join ’em. While my version still isn’t the healthy, high fiber, low-fat, sugar-free, delicious breakfast I would like my family to eat, I think I still may have one-upped Kellogg’s with this one.
I’ve had my mind made up for a while that I was going to make my own toasty, fruity, breakfast pastry; I just couldn’t decide what kind to make. The traditional Strawberry or Cherry just didn’t seem like much fun. But lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes using figs and walnuts. Fig and walnut pizza, or salads, or tarts. Then I bought the latest copy of Food Network Magazine, and not only did they have a home-made Pop Tart recipe, they also had a spread on new and grown-up twists on PB&J. Is it possible to have a serendipitous moment with food? Well if it is, then I had one.
And furthermore, it was just my luck that when I went to the market yesterday, they had a special on Figs. I think I snatched up every good-looking one on the stand (sorry to the other patrons.) I planned on using walnut butter to make the glaze, but I couldn’t find it. But again, lucky for me, I am living in a country where nuts are a staple of most people’s diets and every market has a nut purveyor that will scoop you out as little or as many nuts as you care to have (and pay for 🙂 )
I did cheat and use puff pastry. Quite frankly, I knew that making the compote, and assembling these bad boys with two preschoolers running around was going to be enough work (and I was right!) The result from using the puff pastry was that it was more like a Toaster Strudel than a Pop Tart, but still good, none the less.
I split the glaze between two squirt bottles, and let my little Sous Chefs have fun decorating their own. I can’t wait to make these again, now I just need to decide what flavor……
Homemade Fig Pop Tarts with Walnut Glaze
Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh figs, stems removed
2 tablespoons sugar (more if figs are not very sweet)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed (my package had 18 precut sheets)
1 egg
1 cup whole walnuts
2/3 cup powder sugar
4 teaspoons water
Preparation:
To make the fig compote: Quarter the trimmed figs, and add them to a nonreactive sauce pot. Add lemon juice, zest, and sugar. Pour enough water in the pot to cover the figs. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes. Heat the fig mixture to boiling, and continue to boil until the water reduces by almost half and the figs break down about 30 minutes. Be careful to stir as the mixture reduces to prevent burning.
Once the mixture reduces, puree with emulsion blender until desired consistency is reached. Cool in a glass jar, then refrigerate.
To assemble the Tarts: Preheat oven to 400. If not pre cut, cut the pastry into squares . Whisk egg and a tablespoon of water for egg wash. Brush the outside of a pastry square with egg wash. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the fig compote on the square, leaving about a half-inch around each side. Take another pastry square and brush the edges with egg wash. Seal the two squares, making sure to keep the fig filling in the center. Use a fork to seal the edges again. Brush egg wash over the top of the sealed pastry. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
While the Tarts bake, make the walnut glaze. Toast whole nuts 3-5 minutes in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant. Pulse nuts in a food processor into fine crumbs or powder. Whisk water and powdered sugar until combined. Whisk in walnut powder. Allow tarts to cool, then glaze with walnut mixture.
Mom de Cuisine 