Fig Frangipane Tart

Gather ye figgies while ye may, old time it is a flying. And make this tart with those plump figs,  for then you’ll be a sighing. OK, so Robert Herrick is turning over in his grave . . . I do get carried away sometimes I know. Seriously, this is a delicious tart that includes frangipane. No, not frangipani, the beautiful tropical flower – but frangipane – the cake and tart filling made with ground almonds.

I wanted to make a fig frangipane tart with a pastry shell, and I found this one from Ivonne at the blog “Cream Puffs in Venice,”  that included cinnamon in the crust. You don’t even have to roll it out. You just press it into place. Very easy indeed, and it tasted great – not at all tough like pastry dough that’s been handled too much. I think I may make this my de facto tart crust from now on. Incidentally, if figs are not your thing, or if you can’t find them, this would also be terrific with Italian prune plums, peaches or pears. The filling was every bit as almond-y as you’d ever want with the ground almonds (or almond flour), and almond extract in the recipe. After I placed the figs on top, my nine-inch tart shell was filled to the brim: Maybe it was the jumbo eggs I used, but as you can see, after it was baked, my frangipane runneth over. It sort of looks like an alien relative of “The Blob.”  But with a few flicks of a knife, the tart looked presentable, and I got to eat those alien bits of frangipane before the guests arrived.  Even better though, was cutting off a slice and enjoying the whole piece.   Fig Frangipane Tart
From Ivonne at the blog “Cream Puffs in Venice,” who found it in the Fall 2008 issue of Ricardo magazine. Printable recipe here Equipment: 9-inch tart pan (round or square) with a removable bottom. For the crust: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix with the paddle attachment until well blended. Add the lightly beaten egg and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt and mix until just combined. With your hands, pat the dough into the tart pan making sure you pack the dough up the sides of the pan and into all the corners evenly. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the frangipane filling. Frangipane filling: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/4 cups ground almonds (I used almond flour instead)
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
8 to 10 figs, quartered (depending on size)
confectioner’s sugar (for garnish) Before you start the filling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix until combined. Add the extracts and mix for another minute. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the ground almonds and flour and stir in with a wooden spoon until smooth. Scrape the frangipane filling into the prepared tart shell. Arrange the quartered figs over the top of the filling. Bake the tart for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the tart comes out clean. The crust will be golden. Let the tart cool on a wire rack. Once cool, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

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