Baking| Honey Roasted Fig & Almond Tart … good food indeed!

“The smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, ready to remind us….”
Marcel Proust

Finally succumbed to temptation and bought a precious little box of fresh figs the other day. Have been looking at them longingly for a while, but there never was time for them as the past few weeks have been packed and BUSY! Googling brought me many matches, and since frangipane is something that I love using in dessert, this Honey Roasted Fig & Almond Tart proved its sublime worth! Figs must be the prettiest fruit. Rustic, with almost vintage appeal, fruit which take your breath away the moment you cut them. With the temperatures rising, it’s a matter of time before they disappear. It’s almost unnerving to have them in the fridge, these dainty beautiful fruit that threaten to expire before you know it! I’ve baked just a couple of times with fresh figs – once when I had lugged a  precious few from Pune that ended up in a vanilla scented frangipane galette, and another time I experimented with figs in buckwheat tartlets. Memories of both linger in my mind each time I see fresh figs, yet the blog is hungry for variety. In my quest for more, I landed up at the BBC Good Foods Honey Roasted Fig & Almond Tart!Of this tart they write, “Delicious, sweet and fruity pud, great served with cream or ice cream – make the case with bought pastry!” I made the case with a shortcrust pastry from scratch, off their site again, simple and quick. I made half the quantity of the frangipane filling in their recipe and it was just right! I also used a whole egg instead of 2 yolks; worked fine again!BBC GF has exciting recipes, almost always simple and uncomplicated, with ingredients that aren’t too outlandish or exotic. I love seeing their newsletter in my inbox, a constant source of inspiration and a desire to bid each passing season a fond farewell. It keeps me safe in the knowledge that fresh ideas of the new season are coming soon!Theres something about fresh figs, the colours when you cross section them, the depth of colours once they are roasted, the aromas, the pairing .. all pure JOY! Pairing them with almonds must be one of lifes little pleasures … so indulgent and ever so delicious! This tart bears testimony! And the colours? So worth making this tart, the deep red hues of figs moorish and eye catching! Honey roasting the figs for 12-15 minutes ensure that they have a slightly longer lease of life, especially when they are as precious as the few I had! I am endlessly envious of those folk who have a fig tree in their yard! The tart was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S! Combined together, butter, brown sugar, almonds and vanilla beans deliver something special. The crust was crisp and the tart came together beautifully. The honey roasted figs pleased the palette with the hint of orange zest; for once we didn’t need cream or creme fraiche or ice cream!It was so good at room temperature, the frangipane filling fabulous!

Other fresh fig recipes on PAB
Fresh Fig Tart with Vanilla Scented Frangipane
Fresh Fig & Frangipane Buckwheat Tartlets

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Recipe: Honey Roasted Fig & Almond Tart

Summary: The tart was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.! Combined together, butter, brown sugar, almonds and vanilla beans deliver something special. The crust was crisp, and the tart came together beautifully. Honey roasted figs pleased the palette with the hint of orange zest. For once we didn’t need cream or creme fraiche or ice cream!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

• 170g shortcrust pastry {recipe follows}
• 5 rips figs
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 100gm unsalted butter, soft
• 120gm whole almonds, ground with skin
• 100g demerera sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a shallow loose-bottomed 8″/20cm flan tin. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut the figs in half length ways and sit them cut side up on a roasting tray. Mix the orange zest and honey in a bowl, brush the figs pour over the figs and roast for 10-12 minutes until just soft.
   
4. Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper {or foil} 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 170C. Leave the pastry case to cool slightly before filling.
5. 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 whiz briefly to combine. Add the egg and scraped vanilla bean and whiz again until smooth. Spread evenly over the pastry case.
6. 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, and it’ll firm up a bit as it cools}. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove sides and transfer on its base to a wire rack to cool.
7. Take the tart off its base and transfer to a flat platter or board before serving.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Shortcrust pastry ingredients:

• 125g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp demeraera sugar
• 55g unsalted butter
• 2-3tbsp chilled water

Method:

1. Place all ingredients except water in food processor and process in short bursts until breadcrumb like mix.
2. Add chilled water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture begins to come together.
3. Knead briefly so that the dough comes together. Wrap in clingwrap and chill for at least 20-20 minutes before using.

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While on this pie/tart topic, do stop by at Fun N Food Cafes Pie 101 for all things pie related.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India