Fall Equinox today! Here in San Francisco Bay Area has still been quite hot, so it doesn’t feel like cooler and colorful autumn season yet. We have not had rain for a long time. It has been very dangerously dry everywhere. As you and everyone may know we had many serious wild fires only until a week ago. It is OK at moments but it’s not end yet. Those big fires were not really near to Bay Area but we had pink and dark orange sky, ash were coming down from the sky for a few days. It was a bit scary days that it reminded me the fall of Pompeii, the town was buried by ash and mud.
“Shun” (height of seasonal fresh products) of summer fruits are ending; apricots, plums, peaches, but there are fig trees still having full of fruits on as if they are calling the last glory of summer fruit at the end of summer.
I have learned no one really cultivating figs as for commercial business today, so it is naturally you don’t see them often in supermarkets either open farmers market on weekend. I also learned figs are not very popular fruits anymore. You cannot keep them for a long.
However whenever I see them look great at this time of year, I always make this simple tart with almond cream, or making fig compote (I do almost every year) which you can keep and enjoy them until Christmas. I particularly enjoy fig compote with a couple tablespoons of fresh cream added it on the compote and eat at front of the fire place in cold evening.
So it is once in a year thing “fresh fig tart” in my kitchen. I enjoy it with a glass of black iced tea, but I think it is better to enjoy with chilled Muscat wine (highly recommended). They are the best matching to compliment each other (they are both from our ancient time.), and remembering of good summer memories and think of coming the realm of delicious autumn fruits and vegetables (new celebration), starting today!
Fresh Fig Tart or Tartlet
Serves 6, one 8-inch tart pan or six 3.5-inch tartlet pans
1 basket (1 pound/500g) fresh mission fig
Sweet tart dough (10oz./300g)*
Almond Cream:
1 very fresh egg
40 g almond meal or ground almond
40 g confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract or ¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting the tart
*PATE SUCRÉE (Flaky Sweet Pastry)
Recipe adapted from French Cooking Book
For two 8-inch tart pan
1 stick (4oz./115g) unsalted butter, softened at “room temperature”
½ cup (100g) confectioners’ sugar, shifted
1 ¾ cups (250g) unbleached all-purpose flour or cake flour, sifted
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg (50g)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, 3/4 cup (100g.) the flour and confectioners’ sugar. Cut the mixture together until crumble.
Blend in the eggs, and then stir in the remaining flour just until incorporated and gather the dough together. Warp the dough in plastic and chill for 60 minutes before using or overnight.
Baking crust:
Pre heat the oven 350°F (180°C).
Roll out the dough on lightly floured counter top or between two plastic wrap. Place the dough on tart pan, prick on the dough with a table fork and refrigerate for 10–15minutes before bake. Place parchment paper or aluminum foil on the dough with pie weight (dry rice or beans). Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weight, and bake another 10 minutes or until nicely, lightly brown the crus. Remove from the oven and cool on wire rack at room temperature.
Making almond cream:
In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg, add the almond meal, sugar and softened butter. Mix well and refrigerated until using it.
Assemble the tart:
Gently and lightly rinse the figs in the bowl of cold water, and pat dry them and place over paper towel.
Cut off top and bottom, and then cut in a half vertically. (Cut into quarter if figs are big.)
Spoon the almond cream on the bottom of the tart. Place the figs on the cream.
Dust with powder sugar before serving. You should eat same day you made.
