Call me a freak, but I find arranging fruit in concentric circles to be strangely soothing. It’s so simple and you get absorbed in it, forgetting anything going on around you so you get it just right. That’s another reason to eat this tart aside from the fact that it is super delicious, and as one of my taste testers said “it seems kind of healthy too”.
I mean, there’s fruit, so that’s healthy. Here’s to the small victories!
Crust Ingredients
- 3/4 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/3 cup hazelnut or almond meal
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 2/3 cups flour
- 1-2 tbsp of milk (if needed, see below)
Tart Ingredients
- 2/3 cup almond meal
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 3/4 tsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- 1 tsp flour
- 5 tbsp salted butter, softened
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp dark rum
- 1/4-1/2 cup fig jam
- 500g fresh figs (about 18 figs)
Steps
To make the dough, cream butter and sea salt for about a minute. Add icing sugar and mix until combined, about one minute. Add nut meal and vanilla and mix until combined and uniform.
Add the egg and 1/2 cup of flour and beat at low speed until incorporated. Gradually add remaining flour and mix until dough comes together. If you find that the dough is too crumbly, add 1-2 tbsp of milk and mix until it just comes together. The dough will be soft.
Split into two halves and flatten each into a disc. Tightly wrap with plastic and chill for at least 4 hours (you can freeze the other disc for another use).
Remove from fridge and on a floured surface, roll into a 10.5 inch circle. Gently roll the dough onto a lightly floured rolling pin and unravel onto a lightly greased 8-9 inch tart pan. This method ensures that the dough doesn’t break. Press dough into the tart pan and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the tart filling. Sift together the almond meal, icing sugar, arrowroot and flour into a medium bowl. Cream butter, salt and vanilla in a separate bowl until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Add egg and rum and beat until smooth and uniform.
Remove tart shell from fridge and prick the surface with a fork all over, about 1 inch apart. Spread filling evenly all over shell, it should come 3/4 of the way up the shell.
Bake at 325F for 40 minutes, until crust and filling and golden brown. Allow to cool.
Once cool, spread a thin, even layer of fig jam over the filling. Cut stems off figs and slice into quarters. Arrange slices in concentric circles, starting from the outside, with the cut stem down. The slices should tilt upwards. Refrigerate until serving.
Recipe adapted from New York Times Cooking
Pie Girl Bakes 