Fig & Ricotta Filo Tartlets with Lemon, Honey and Thyme

My previous fig recipe received so much love, and watching the views, saves, and shares keep climbing felt wonderful. When you spend years creating recipes, styling plates and photographing food, those little moments of appreciation really do mean a lot. And perhaps it was also a sign that I wasn’t quite finished with figs yet.

So, I went back to the same flavour family that worked so beautifully before: figs, creamy ricotta and honey. This time, though, I wanted to introduce a little freshness and a completely different texture.

Enter lemon zest and crisp filo pastry.

The lemon cuts through the richness of the ricotta beautifully, while the delicate layers of buttery filo turn wonderfully crisp in the oven. Add ripe figs, honey, thyme and sesame seeds, and you have something that sits somewhere between a tart, a pastry and a very luxurious brunch plate.

Fig & Ricotta Filo Tartlets

These fig and ricotta filo tartlets have a creamy lemon-honey filling topped with fresh figs and baked inside layers of crisp, buttery filo pastry. They are simple to assemble but look particularly beautiful once baked.

Serve them individually for an elegant dessert, or make slightly larger tartlets and cut them into portions. A little extra honey just before serving would be enough, although a spoonful of lightly whipped cream wouldn’t hurt either.

What I particularly love about this recipe is the contrast: crisp filo, creamy ricotta, soft jammy figs, fragrant lemon, earthy thyme and sticky honey. Every element brings something different, yet together they feel incredibly simple.

Perhaps my previous fig post took off because figs are just naturally photogenic. Or perhaps everyone else loves this flavour combination as much as I do.

Either way, I was more than happy to give the figs another moment in front of the camera.

Makes: 4 individual tartlets
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 15–20 minutes

Ingredients

• Ricotta cheese, plus extra for finishing 250 g
• Labneh 2 tbsp
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Honey, plus extra for drizzling 2-3 tbsp
• Filo pastry 4 sheets
• Fresh ripe figs 3-4
• Melted butter 40–50 g
• Sesame seeds 1–2 tsp
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme
• Pinch of salt, optional

Method

• Add the ricotta and labneh to a bowl. Mix until creamy, then add the lemon zest and around 2 tablespoons of honey.
• Taste and add a little more honey if you prefer it sweeter. Lay one filo sheet on your work surface and lightly brush it with melted butter.
• Place another sheet on top and brush again with butter. Cut the layered filo into four rectangles or squares. Stack the filo rectangles over one another, turning them slightly as you layer so that the corners do not line up perfectly.
• This creates beautiful irregular, crisp edges. Spoon around 2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling into the centre and spread it into a neat circle, leaving plenty of filo exposed around the outside.
• Cut the figs into quarters or smaller wedges depending on their size. Arrange the fig pieces over the ricotta with the pointed ends facing outward so that they resemble the petals of a flower.
• Gently twist, gather, or fold the filo edges around the filling to create a roughly circular tartlet. Brush the exposed filo generously with melted butter and sprinkle the edges with sesame seeds.
• Scatter a little fresh thyme over the figs. Drizzle with another touch of honey and crumble a little extra ricotta over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for approximately 15–20 minutes, or until the filo pastry is deeply golden and crisp around the edges.
• Allow the tartlets to rest for a few minutes before serving. Finish with another drizzle of honey and a little fresh lemon zest if you like.