Figs, rightly so, have a kind of mythical quality to them. Perhaps it’s their heady perfume when they are plump and properly ripe or the fact that they are the oldest known plants to be cultivated by humans. In France they are in season from as early as June sometimes through to October, but September is our favorite time to indulge in these beautiful tear drop-shaped beauties, as the weather starts to cool. This tart leaves the figs to roast whole in all their glory, crowned atop a base of soft sweet almonds. If you’re intimidated by making pastry, look for a store-bought variety that uses wholefood ingredients and try and avoid those with dubious fats and preservatives.

Fig and Almond Tart

8 servings | Equipment:  A 10-inch (25 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom; a rolling pin; a baking sheet lined with baking parchment; a food processor.

Ingredients

A 14-ounce (400 g) sheet of Blitz Puff Pastry (recipe below) or purchased all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
1 cup (80 g) almond flour (almond meal)
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces; 75 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup (65 g) unrefined cane sugar, preferably organic
2 tablespoons (20 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour or spelt flour
1 egg yolk, preferably organic and free-range
1 tablespoon fig jam
35 to 40 (1 3/4 pounds; 875 g) small purple figs, stems trimmed
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Method

1.     Fold the pastry in half, transfer it to the tart pan and unfold it. Without stretching the dough, lift it up at the edges so that it naturally falls against the rim of the pan. With your fingertips, very delicately coax the dough onto the rim. There should be a generous overhang. With the rolling pin, roll over the top of the tin, trimming off the overhanging pastry to create a smooth, well-trimmed shell.

2.     Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the tart shell on the baking sheet.

3.     In the food processor, combine the almond meal, butter, sugar, flour, egg yolk, and fig jam and process to blend. Transfer the almond mixture to the pastry shell. Smooth out the top with a spatula. Place in the oven and bake just until the pastry firms up and begins to brown, and the almond mixture browns, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

4.     Cut an X in the top of each fig and gently squeeze from the bottom to open the fruit like a flower. Arrange the figs, cut side up, side by side on top of the almond mixture.

5.     Return the tart pan to the oven and bake until the figs and the filling are dark and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool. While the tart is still warm, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. After about 10 minutes, carefully remove the tart from the sides of the pan, leaving it on the pan base. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges, with Roasted Fig Sorbet. This tart is best served the day it is baked.

NOTE: Ripe, but not overly ripe figs, which tend to give up too much liquid and turn the pastry soggy.

TIP: Figs freeze beautifully. Treat them as you would berries: Arrange the whole fruit stem side up, side by side on a baking sheet, and place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a zippered plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months. For use, thaw at room temperature.

Blitz Puff Pastry

Makes 400g pastry, enough for one tart | Equipment: A heavy-duty mixer fitted with a flat paddle.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups (180 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour or spelt flour
8 tablespoons (125 g) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoons malt powder or malt flakes
1/3 cup (80 ml) plus 1 tablespoon ice water
1 teaspoons lemon juice

Method

1.     In the bowl of the mixer, combine the flour, butter, salt, and malt powder. Mix at low speed until the butter is evenly distributed but large chunks are still visible, about 30 seconds.  

2.     Combine the ice water and lemon juice. Add the lemon water to the flour mixture all at once, mixing at low speed just until the dough forms a ball,  about 10 seconds. Do not over mix. The dough will be wet and shaggy.

3.     Transfer the dough to generously floured, clean work surface. Gather the dough into a ball. Flatten it into a 6-inch (15 cm) square. Wrap the dough in foil. Refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes.  

4.     Lightly flour a clean work surface. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a 6 x 18-inch (15 x 45 cm) rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds, resulting in a square. Repeat 1 more time, rolling the dough into a rectangle, folding it in thirds. Wrap the dough in foil and refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes.  

5.     Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll and fold the dough a 3rd time. Wrap the dough in foil and refrigerate at least for 20 minutes.  

6.     Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll and fold the dough a 4th time. Wrap the dough in the foil and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

7.     Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll and fold the dough a 5th and final time. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

This is a Nourish the Planet recipe (first published in Salad as a Meal), part of a collaborative series by Patricia Wells and Emily Buchanan.
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