Glazed Fig Almond Tart Food

FIG AND ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• To make the dough, combine flour, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl with your hands until it resembles a coarse meal. In a separate small bowl combine the ice water and vanilla and add it to the flour mixture and combine until the dough forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured board roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick and large enough to fit into a 9-inch tart pan. Trim the edges and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and weigh it down with dry beans. Bake the dough in the oven for 20 minutes and then remove.
• Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• In an electric mixing bowl beat softened butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg and combine. Stir in almonds, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon the mixture into the baked tart shell and top with the quartered figs. Bake the tart for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• To make the sauce, in a saucepan combine the red wine, figs, sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and simmer until the wine is reduced by half.
• Remove the cinnamon stick and transfer the sauce to a blender and puree. Strain into a saucepan and simmer until lightly thickened. Let cool 1 to 2 minutes.
• Brush the sauce over the tart and serve with more sauce on the side.
• Suggested wine: Bukkuram, Moscato Passito di Pantelleria

FIG AND ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, gradually add the water until moist clumps form. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
• In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and honey. Blend until smooth.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a large, heavy baking sheet. Spread the almond filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the figs on top of the almond filling. Spoon the jam over the figs. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.
• Bake the tart until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the tart from the parchment. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve.
• Cook's Note: To reconstitute dried figs, simmer in water for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool completely. Strain before using.

FIG AND ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter sides and bottom of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or a springform pan and set aside.
• For the crust: In a large bowl combine melted butter and sugar and blend with a wooden spoon. Add extracts, salt and flour and stir to form a soft, cookielike dough. Do not let it form into a ball. Transfer the dough to the center of the tart pan. Using your fingers, press the dough evenly onto the bottom and sides. (It will be quite thin.) If using a springform pan, press the dough 1 1/2 inches up the sides. Bake until the dough is slightly puffy and set, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle almonds on the crust.
• For the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the cream, egg, extracts and honey and whisk to blend. Whisk in the flour. Starting just inside the edge of the tart shell, neatly overlap the figs, cut side up, at a slight angle. Make two or three concentric circles, working toward the center, and fill the center with the remaining figs.
• Rewhisk the cream mixture and pour evenly over the fruit. Place the tart in the center of the oven with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake until the filling is firm and the pastry a deep golden brown, about 50 or 60 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

HONEY ROASTED FIG & ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a shallow loose-bottomed 25cm flan tin. Make sure the pastry comes above the rim - it may shrink in baking and the filling could spill. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the figs in half lengthways and sit them cut side up on a roasting tray. Mix the orange juice and honey in a bowl, pour over the figs and roast for 10-12 minutes until just soft. Drain off any juice into a saucepan and reserve.
• Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to fan 130C/conventional 150C/ gas 2. Leave the pastry case to cool slightly before filling.
• Cream butter and sugar in a food processor or with an electric beater until smooth and pale. Tip in the ground almonds and zest and whizz briefly to combine. Add egg yolks and 1 tbsp of the reserved fig juice and whizz again until smooth. Spread evenly over the pastry case.
• Gently press the figs cut side up into the almond mixture. Bake for 11⁄4 hours or until it's golden all over (don't worry if the centre still seems soft - a little gooeyness is good). Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove sides and transfer on its base to a wire rack to cool.
• Before serving, take the tart off its base and transfer to a flat platter or board. If you have juice left from roasting the figs, bring it to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until sticky and syrupy. Brush this over the figs and serve as soon as possible, while the syrup is still glossy on the figs (it will start to seep through into the filling if you leave it too long).

FRANGIPANE, FIG & ORANGE TART

Steps:

• Tip the flour, butter and a pinch of salt into a food processor, and pulse the mixture a few times until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and orange zest and pulse again. Add the vanilla, egg yolk and 1 tbsp cold water, then pulse until the mixture just comes together into a dough. Press the dough into a ball with your hands, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it's large enough to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Use it to line the tin, pressing it into the sides, then prick the base all over with a fork and chill for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane. Put the butter in a medium bowl and beat with an electric whisk until creamy, then add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the almonds and flour.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and put a baking tray in the oven to heat up. Spoon the frangipane into the chilled pastry case and smooth the top using the back of a spoon. Arrange the figs, cut-side up, in a circle pattern, pushing them down gently into the frangipane.
• Carefully transfer the tart to the hot baking tray in the oven, and bake for 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins (cover with foil after 40 mins if it's browning too quickly), or until the figs are tender and a skewer inserted into the frangipane comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.
• While the tart cools, make the glaze. Mix the orange zest and juice, the sugar and 1 tbsp water together in a small pan, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 mins until syrupy. Remove the tart from the case, transfer to a plate, and brush with the glaze.

GLAZED FIGS WITH ALMONDS AND THYME

Steps:

• Simmer wine, honey, figs, and thyme sprig in a small saucepan 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 10 minutes. Return to heat and simmer, uncovered, until liquid is just syrupy, about 10 minutes. Cool figs in syrup. Cut a slit in each fig and gently press in a nut. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FIG ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Crust: 1. Whisk yolk and cream in a small bowl. 2. Mix flour, sugar and salt in mixer. 3. Add butter to mixer. 4. Add yolk/cream mixture to mixer. 5. Mix until dough comes together and gather into a ball. Then refrigerate dough for ~15 minutes, until it becomes less sticky to work with. 6. Grease and flour 10inch pan. 7. Roll out dough and press into pan. 8. Chill for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) Pastry Cream: 1. Bring half and half to a simmer in small sauce pan. 2. In small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, and flour together. 3. Slowly temper the egg mixture with the simmered half and half. 4. Return mixture to sauce pan and heat until it thickens and boils (~3-5 minutes). 5. Transfer back into the small bowl and stir in vanilla. 6. Set bowl over ice bath to cool. Filling: 1. Combine ground almonds with half the remaining sugar (1/3 cup) in a small bowl. 2. Add in butter and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar to a mixer and beat until smooth. 3. Mix in remaining 2 eggs, one at a time. 4. Gradually beat in almond/sugar mixture. 5. Beat in 1/2 cup of the cooled pasty cream. 6. Chill and cover for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Setting Up and Cooking the Pie: 1. Preheat the oven to 375F. 2. Spread filling over crust. 3. Arrange figs in a circular pattern on top of filling . 4. Bake for 1hour, or until center is golden and set.

FIG AND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan or pie pan; set aside. Put almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor and grind to a coarse powder. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; pulse to combine.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, honey and almond extract. Add almond mixture and beat for a minute until batter is just mixed. Pour batter into pan.
• Remove stem from each fig and cut in half. Arrange fig halves cut-side up over the batter. Sprinkle figs with sugar and bake for 30 minutes, until golden outside and dry at center when probed with a cake tester. Cool before serving.