FRESH FIG TART WITH VANILLA SCENTED FRANGIPANE… Inspired baking!
“Why are we surprised when fig trees bear figs?”
Margaret Titzel
They weighed heavy on my mind, and the pressure was killing me. My SIL who had been visiting for the past few days had bought me some fresh figs from Pune since she knew how fascinated I am by them. The fact that figs are highly perishable creations of nature didn’t make life any easier. But the past few days had been a race to the finish, and I never got a chance to pay attention to these unassuming looking fruit, rather plain from the exterior.
Finally got some time one afternoon to sit and browse blogs and almost fell out of my chair in surprise to see Purple Foodies post on my reader… A Fig Tart with Vanilla Scented Frangipane. Why the surprise? For one, I have always known Shaheen to immensely dislike frangipane anything for as long as I have known her. Surprised too because one look at the post and I knew it was figgy time for me. Barely had I glanced at her gorgeous pictures and I raced to the kitchen. In 40 minutes I was a happy smiling person with a tart baking in the oven! Worked myself to the bone, but the pleasure was so ‘ultimate‘… BLISS!
This was my first exposure to the fragile fig, a fruit that is seen where we live only in its dried avatar. Fresh figs look ever so plain and quite unattractive from the outside; once sliced it’s like sunshine hits you. GASP! How beautiful nature is. Amazing, and so therapeutic!
My tart was a hurried process of whatever I had on hand. Inspired by Purple Foodie, who in turn was inspired by Chez Pim, I made a beautiful tart. I love frangipane so used the whole portion in my tart. Also because I had just over 4 figs I could salvage. This tart would work beautifully with plums as well.
The pastry is one I use often from Susan @ Food Blogga, which I first used when I got addicted to this Peach-Plum Galette. The pastry recipe is an eggless one I use often for galettes and it is my firm favourite. It gives a nice crisp pastry, which I find very versatile. I used just 2/3 of the pastry here, and the rest was left in the fridge for use later.
That later came sooner than expected … where I made these delectable Orange Pastry Cream Tartlets with Candied Tangerines. Another round of inspired dessert … pastry cream from Cooking Ninja and the idea for the tarts from Tartlette!
Vanilla Scented Frangipane
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/3rd cup vanilla sugar
75g butter
1 large egg
1/2 a vanilla bean
1/8 cup plain flour
1 tsp milk (or a little beaten egg for pastry)
Vanilla sugar for sprinkling
1 tbsp apricot preserve (I used melted marmalade)
Method:
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/3rd cup vanilla sugar
75g butter
1 large egg
1/2 a vanilla bean
1/8 cup plain flour
1 tsp milk (or a little beaten egg for pastry)
Vanilla sugar for sprinkling
1 tbsp apricot preserve (I used melted marmalade)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and place them in the oven. Roast them for about 10 minutes, or until slightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.
Put the cooled almonds and the sugar into a food processor and process until fine. Add the butter, flour and egg and pulse until well-combined. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean and stir through.
9″ Fresh Fig Tart
2/3 quantity of this recipe, (or 1 9″ quantity of pastry dough)
About 4-5 large figs
Frangipane from above
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Roll out your pastry dough to about 10-inch diameter. Prick a fork though it every inch or so apart, and place the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Spread the frangipane on the dough, leaving about 1 inch perimeter around the outer edge of the dough. Slice the figs and place them from outside inwards to form concentric circles to cover the frangipane.
Fold the edges in, pinching a little to make sure they stick. Brush the dough with milk (or eggwash) and give it a good shower of vanilla sugar. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown.
Brush the pastry & top gently with melted preserve or marmalade as soon as it comes out to give it a good sheen, & seal the moisture in.
Spread the frangipane on the dough, leaving about 1 inch perimeter around the outer edge of the dough. Slice the figs and place them from outside inwards to form concentric circles to cover the frangipane.
Fold the edges in, pinching a little to make sure they stick. Brush the dough with milk (or eggwash) and give it a good shower of vanilla sugar. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown.
Brush the pastry & top gently with melted preserve or marmalade as soon as it comes out to give it a good sheen, & seal the moisture in.
♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
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Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
30 Comments
♥♥♥Ria♥♥♥
Looks delicious! 🙂
The Purple Foodie
Can you believe I made that tart again the very next day because my dad loved it so much! Love how yours looks!
Tiffany
I can believe it. This is gorgeous!
meeso
So fancy 😛
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
This looks so beautiful Deeba, I love figs but they're not so easy to come by in the UK. I was hunting for some fresh ones today but no luck. Still I can look at this tart and dream!
Chow and Chatter
like a bakewell tart with figs wow did you give her some!!
Rosa's Yummy Yums
That tart is fabulous! So fragrant and delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
pigpigscorner
I saw the fig tart at Purple Foodie's as well and have bookmarked it! I guess it's time to hunt for some figs! Your tart looks awesome!
Mowie @ Mowielicious.com
That looks and sounds so divine Deeba! Yum! I love fig tart.
Holly K
Debba – you are clearly an amazing baker. I can almost smell that fig tart through the screen. I found your blog through BlogFrog and wanted to stop by and read some of your recipes – so many to choose from! I also wanted to extend a warm welcome to BlogFrog. If you ever have any questions or suggestions for how we can be better, please let us know.
Holly (BlogFrog)
Lauren
Oh my! Deeba, I love your flavour combos. This looks simply fantastic =D.
lisa @ dandysugar
What a fantastic fig tart. I always love your flavor combinations–you're so creative! This one is bookmarked for sure.
Anita
Can I admit I've never used figs in anything before??? I must start using them and this tart look beautiful
zurin
Thats a beautiful tart Deeba!!….and what a surprise too! I have been given some kumquats and I have candied them.I made a kumquat cake and then a yoghurt kumquat ice cream (wh I havent blogged about)and am now thinking of making individual kumquat tarts!!! What a lovely coincidence that you have one lined up as well…the tart…i'll go make one right away..Ill check your recipe out….great minds think alike? I'd like to think so …lol
zurin
OoH you havent put the recipe up yet! :)) that s ok Ill have to make one up myself …oh and yours are tangerines….they look so like kumquats dont they? do you know if they are the very same fruit?
MeetaK
sensational looking tart deeba – i adore figs. this is definitely on my to bake list!
cookbookapprentice
Oh this looks wonderful! So glad I came across your blog!
Bellini Valli
It all looks so injviting Deeba. I really must seek out some fresh figs if I can find them this time of year.
Murasaki Shikibu
Looks very nice, Deeba. You did a great job, as usual. 🙂
Natashya Kitchen Puppies
Fresh figs are hard to come by in Canada too. You make the most gorgeous desserts!
Ammu
Looks delicious & yum 🙂
Elra
Very beautiful tart Deeba. I love the combination of frangipane and fig together.
kamran siddiqi
Beautiful Tart Deeba! Looks absolutely delicious. Makes me want to make a tart this early in the morning, instead I have to go to school… Maybe during Holiday Break I'll be able to do more baking early in the morning.
Muneeba
A wonderful way to enjoy figs, which happen to be one of my fav fruits ever!!! I couldn't stop staring at your pics by the way 🙂
bethany (Dirty Kitchen Secrets)
That has all my favorite flavors and the figs are in season- just terrific. Photos look absolutely beautiful!
www.dhaleb.com
Such a genius idea! And your photos are lovely and so creative as usual. I love all the baked goodies on this blog and I gain a few extra calories every time I visit!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Absolutely beautiful darling! And I love the idea of making the frangipane vanilla flavoured instead of regular almond. And I agree the colours and the look of a cut fig are so gorgeous. I love the colour spectrum-the purples, pinks and blacks.
Jamie
You are too talented in the pastry department. You would have me happily eating things that I normally wouldn't, like figs! Gorgeous tart! And can't wait for the other with candied tangerines? Wow!!
diva
mmmm love frangipane. this is lusciously golden brown. want a slice please! x
Jeanne
Funny, isn't it – fresh figs do put you under a kind of pressure that almost no other fresh fruit does. You have to use them fast, and because a good fig is a thing of such rare beauty, you feel compelled to make somethign special. You excelled yourself here!