Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice but you only need a tiny pinch to flavour any recipe. You can get saffron at specialty food shops and gourmet grocery stores. The recipe calls for the Spanish variety but any high quality saffron will work just as well. If you don’t feel up to making homemade puff pastry, buy the frozen variety at your local supermarket. Yield is 6 servings.
ingredients
Natillas
Cassis Reduction
Assembly
directions
Put the cream, cinnamon, saffron and lemon zest in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to low and cook 7 to 10 minutes or until you can smell the cinnamon and saffron and the mixture turns yellow in colour.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugar in a medium stainless steel bowl until smooth.
Remove cinnamon stick from hot cream and add cream to the eggs slowly, stirring gently with a wooden spoon.
Put the egg mixture in a double boiler and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Heat the cassis in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat until simmering.
Reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
Set aside.
Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F. for 10 minutes then turn it down to 400 degrees F.
Put the puff pastry squares on a board.
Pierce the pastry squares with a fork and transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment.
Beat an egg in a small bowl and brush the tops of the squares.
You want to create little boxes of puff pastry with the pastry squares to hold the filling.
To do this, for each square of pastry, lay 4 strips of pastry down on top of the pastry squares along the edges to create the sides of the box. (When baked the strips will puff up to create a hollow box for the filling and because the squares were pierced, they won’t puff up as much).
Put the baking tray with the puff pastry boxes in the fridge and let pastry rest for 10 minutes.
Then put the baking tray directly in the preheated oven.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.
To serve, place a puff pastry box on a plate.
Put a dollop of ricotta in the puff pastry box.
On top of the ricotta, place a few of the fig wedges.
Drizzle the Natillas and cassis reduction around the plate.