a fresh fig and pastry jamboree
When fresh Black Mission figs abound at the market, my baking thoughts travel immediately in the direction of this relaxed, country-style tart—it’s a baking reflex response. The cookie dough that I use as the wrapper for the fig-rich free-form tart has been in my baking file for more than twenty-five years.
To be honest, it has taken me several figgy seasons to get it just right: more sugar or less of it; banish the ice water!; add leavening—but not too much; include that elusive 1 teaspoon of milk; use a whole egg; and on and on. It is a variation of my now-classic (in my baking file’s genealogy) rich pie dough. The ice-cold water has been replaced by a whole egg and the amount of sugar is significantly greater: these changes add up to a dough that is a snap to prepare in a food processor and beautifully encompasses—no, embraces—a few more than a dozen lightly sweetened and spiced fresh figs. Really, if any dough can be considered a pushover, then this one is it—not too delicate, beautifully buttery, and leavened a touch to improve its overall texture. Although you will love to make it in a processor, I am offering the by-hand version for those who cherish getting into the “feel” of dough; admittedly, I like to get my fingers into the mix of it all now and then, and I bet that you do, too.
This gala affair of figs and cookie dough takes the form of a somewhat free-handed circle. The round cake of prepared dough is rolled out, keeping its circular form reasonably intact, and is topped with figs. The figs are finished with a discreet amount of sugar that has been seasoned with ground cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg. The unfettered and unstructured edges of dough are folded over the fruit, leaving a certain amount of it to peek through the center. Those slightly thicker enveloping edges can be treated to a prebaking dusting of granulated sugar or postbaking splash of confectioners’ sugar. Once baked, the figs that peek though the center of the rustic edges of pastry can be lightly swabbed with red currant jelly glaze or drizzled with honey. Slices of the tart are even better when offered with lightly sweetened whipped cream or scoops of vanilla ice cream: at once warm, fruity, creamy, and just divine.
As the fresh figs settle into the pastry dough and bake, they get a little jammy as both their flavor and texture concentrate. The bottom finishes tender and flaky, and the wide edges of the pastry dough turn golden. All of this sets the stage for a most alluring slice-of-summer on a dessert plate.
rustic fig tart
serving: one tart, creating 12 pie-shape wedges
ahead: best on baking day
buttery dough
2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small, rough chunks
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cold large egg
1 teaspoon cold milk
11⁄4 teaspoons vanilla extract
spiced and sugar-sweetened figs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar whisked with 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
18 fresh figs (about 21⁄2 generous pints), stemmed and left whole
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling on the folded-over edges of the unbaked tart (optional, if you are not using the confectioners’ sugar finish)
red currant jelly glaze (optional)
about 2/3 cup best-quality red currant jelly
confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling on the baked tart (optional)
To make the dough in a food processor, place the flour, baking powder, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cover and process, using quick on-off pulses, to combine the ingredients, 5 to 10 seconds. Add the chunks of butter, cover, and process to reduce the butter to smaller bits. Uncover, sprinkle over the granulated sugar, cover, and pulse once or twice to combine. Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture, cover, and process, using 10 to 15 on-off pulses, until the mixture just begins to come together in small clumps. The clumps should look moist. Turn the beginnings of the dough onto a work surface and gather it into one solid mass, smoothing it together lightly with the heel of your hand into a round cake.
To make the dough by hand, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Drop in the chunks of butter and, using a pastry blender or two round-bladed table knives, cut the fat into the flour mixture until reduced to smaller morsels (irregular bits of butter are fine). Sprinkle over the granulated sugar and use a fork to mix it through the butter mixture. With your fingertips, dip into the buttered flour mixture and crumble it to further disperse the fat. Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture and mix to form a dough, using a flat wooden paddle or sturdy spatula. It will come together in moist clumps. Turn the rough lumps and pieces of dough onto a work surface. Press, smear, and pat the dough into one solid mass, using the heel of your hand, forming it into a round cake.
Wrap the cake of dough in a sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper into a 12 to 13-inch round. It’s fine if the edges are slightly ragged and misshapen—this adds to the charm of the overall tart—but be sure to make as even a circle as possible. Place the tart dough round on a cookie sheet or rimmed sheet pan and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F in advance of baking.
Line a rimmed sheet pan with a length of ovenproof parchment paper.
To form the tart, carefully peel away the top sheet of waxed paper from the dough. Invert the dough round onto the center of the parchment paper–lined baking pan and peel away the second sheet of waxed paper. Let the dough stand for 15 to 30 minutes, or until just pliable (this will depend upon the ambient temperature of your kitchen). If the dough is too cold, it will crack, splinter, and break when folding it over the figs; if this happens, it is not the end of the world, so just firmly smooth over and press together the cracks with your fingertips to reunite the sections of dough. Rustic is rustic—and pretty.
Sprinkle the surface of the dough with 1 tablespoon of the spiced sugar mixture (taken from the 3-tablespoon quantity), leaving a 21⁄2 to 3-inch outer band of dough clear of sugar. Place the figs in a medium-size mixing bowl, sprinkle over the remaining 2 tablespoons spiced sugar, and toss well (but lightly). Spoon the sugar-spiced figs in one layer onto the center portion of the sugared surface.
Fold over the band of tart dough to create an overlapping border. You can use a flexible palette knife or small offset metal spatula to help lift the dough up slightly and partially over the mound of figs. Make a few pleats in the border as necessary. The center portion of figs will be exposed and a wide circular portion of it will be covered with the pastry dough. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons sugar on top of the folded-over tart dough border, if you are not planning on dusting the edges of the baked tart with confectioners’ sugar.
Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the figs are tender, the natural fruit juices gurgle up here and there, and the pastry is set and golden. Let the tart stand on the baking pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. If you are glazing the tart with the red currant jelly, warm the jelly in a small saucepan over low heat until melted down completely and bring to the barest simmer, then paint the figs with the jelly, using a soft pastry brush. Cool the tart to warm or to room temperature. If you have not sugared the folded edges before baking, sift a little confectioners’ sugar over the rims’ folds before cutting into generous wedges for serving.
notes
• aim for selecting small figs, but small to medium ones will do just fine (leave those whole as well)
• use a serrated knife, preferably an offset one, for slicing the tart; a serrated knife will cut through the baked tart attractively without tearing the tender, yet stable, pastry
rustic fig tart