Fig Tart

Before starting this Fig Tart recipe, organise the necessary ingredients for the almond rich shortcrust pastry.

... almond powder...

... a few drops of liquid vanilla extract...

... until the dough has a homogeneous consistency. Make sure you do not knead the pastry too much. Reserve in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or ideally overnight.

The next day, roll out the pastry with a rolling pin. This rolling pin allows you to create a regular thickness easily. Adjust the pin with discs for a thickness of 2 or 3 mm.

Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin...

... and arrange over Silichef XL perforated baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat.

Using a tart ring Ø 24cm, cut a disc of pastry along the inside of the ring with a utility knife.

The pastry base is ready.

Place the tart ring around the pastry disc.

Gather the pastry scraps into a ball and roll out lengthwise into a strip.

Using a 7-wheel expandable dough cutter, cut the pastry into thin strips. You can also use a ruler and a knife to create strips with a width of 2 cm.

Line the inside of the ring with the pastry strips.

You will need 2 or 3 strips of pastry to line the inside of the ring. Ease with you fingers, overlap both ends of the strips and cut with a knife so they join perfectly.

The result should look like this.

Slide a utility knife along the rim of the ring to cut the pastry excess. Reserve in the fridge.

For the almond cream: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Place the soft butter and castor sugar into the stand mixer recipient.

Blanch with the flat beater until homogeneous.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and gather the preparation in the centre.

Add the ground hazelnuts...

... and almond powder. Continue beating.

Add the eggs, one at a time...

... the rum...

... flour...

... and the whipping cream.

Place a piping bag in a holder. Fill the piping bag with the almond cream. The use of a nozzle is not necessary.

Pipe the almond cream over the pastry base, in the shape of a spiral.

Cut 4 or 5 figs into slices with a thickness of 0.5 cm.

Arrange the fig slices over the almond cream...

... creating tight rows.

Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (gas 3) until golden brown. Cook between 25 and 30 minutes.

Melt 2 knobs of butter in a frying pan with 50 grams of soft brown sugar...

... and add the honey.

Cut the remaining figs into quarters (or into 6 chunks if the quarters are too big).

Place the figs in the caramel (flesh side) and roast for 2 or 3 minutes. Figs are a delicate fruit, so make sure they don't turn into a purée.

Flip the figs on the skin side...

... and baste until cooked.

Transfer into a food tray and leave to cool.

Remove the cooked tart from the oven...

... and release from the ring while it is hot. If needed, slide a knife blade between the ring and the pastry to facilitate the operation.

Melt the blond glaze and a tablespoon of water in the microwave. Combine with a whisk until smooth.

Using a pastry brush, apply the melted glaze over the surface of the tart. This will allow the roasted figs to easily stick to the tart.

Using a cranked spatula and a fork, lift the figs carefully and arrange them over the tart to create a swirl shape.

Scoop a tablespoon into the roasted figs juice...

... and baste the surface of the tart.

Sprinkle some chopped roasted hazelnuts over the outer edge of the tart.

For a perfect finish, grate the corner of the pastry base with a Microplane Classic grater.

The fig tart is ready to serve! Reserve in the fridge until the last minute. Enjoy!