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Fig and honey frangipane tart
Serves 6 Desserts and puddings
Ingredients
- 8 fresh or dried figs (or 4 fresh and 4 dried)
- 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3tbsp honey (a fragrant heather or Greek honey works well), plus 21⁄2tbsp honey, to glaze
- 2tbsp brandy or rum
- 2 eggs
- 50g ground almonds
- 2tbsp plain flour
- single cream or crème anglaise, to serve
For the pastry
- 70g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- pinch salt
- 30g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 egg, beaten
You will need
- 1 x 20cm round loose- bottomed tart tin
Method
First make the pastry. You can do this quickly in a food processor
by pulsing the flour, salt and
butter until the mixture resembles
breadcrumbs, then adding the
egg and pulsing until the dough
comes together in a ball, adding a little cold water if necessary.
To make the pastry by hand, put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the egg using a round- bladed knife, adding a little cold water if needed, to bring the dough together into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
If using dried figs, soak them now in warm water for 30 minutes.
Heavily dust a work surface with flour. Dust your rolling pin and the top of the dough and roll out to form a large, thin disc, around 25cm in diameter, giving it a quarter-turn every few rolls to keep it even. Use the rolling pin to carefully lift the pastry into a 20cm round loose-bottomed tart tin. Gently push the pastry into the sides of the tin and trim off the edges. Chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C Fan/Gas 4. Put a baking sheet into the centre of the oven. You do not pre-cook this pastry and the heat of the baking sheet will help it to cook through.
Mix the butter and honey together using a hand-held electric whisk or a food processor – or by beating thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add the brandy and eggs and stir in well. Fold in the ground almonds and flour. Dollop spoonfuls of the mixture into the pastry case and spread evenly. Cut the figs in half, removing any stalks, and arrange on top of the frangipane mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes. Turn down the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3 and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. If the pastry looks as if it is burning, cover the edge of the tart with foil. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, gently heat the honey for the glaze. When the tart is slightly cool, remove from the tin and put on a serving plate. Brush the honey generously all over the top to give it a gleaming finish. Serve warm or cold, with single cream or crème anglaise, flavoured with a touch of brandy, if you like.
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