Prosciutto Di Parma with Warm Fig Tartlets

Prosciutto di Parma with warm fig tartlets is the kind of appetizer that shows up at an Italian villa and makes everyone stop talking. Individual pastry rounds get baked with fresh fig halves on top, and each warm tartlet is draped with a silky slice of prosciutto di Parma at the table. The heat from the pastry melts the prosciutto just slightly, releasing its fat and salty fragrance into the sweet fruit underneath.

The dough is built like fresh pasta. Flour mounded on a board, a well in the center, sugar, eggs, and melted butter mixed in with a fork until just combined. That technique gives a tender, buttery pastry that’s closer to Italian pasta frolla than French pate brisee.

A 15-minute rest in the fridge is what lets the dough relax enough to roll without snapping back. Skip it and the pastry fights you. The thickness (about ¼ inch) gives the tartlets enough heft to hold up under the figs without turning soggy.

Split the figs cut-side up so their jewel-like interiors face up. They caramelize in the hot oven, concentrating their honey-sweet juice into something close to jam.

A drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil and a few shreds of fennel frond finish the plate. Serve warm from the oven.

Chef Tips

• Use ripe figs. Under-ripe figs stay mealy and flavorless in the oven. Look for fruit that yields slightly to gentle pressure.
• Drape the prosciutto over the tartlets just before serving. Heat from the pastry lightly warms the ham without cooking it, and too much heat turns prosciutto unpleasantly tough.
• Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment. This pastry is tender and sticks to boards.
• Let the tartlets cool for 2 to 3 minutes before plating. Straight from the oven, the figs are lava-hot.

Variations

• Brush the figs with a little balsamic reduction before baking for an extra acid-sweet finish.
• Crumble soft goat cheese or gorgonzola onto each tartlet before draping with prosciutto for more depth.
• Swap figs for halved apricots or ripe peaches when figs are out of season.