Baking

Almond and scorched fig tart

Sweet, nutty and fruity, this gorgeous almond tart is topped with scorched fresh figs to create a wonderfully indulgent dessert, perfect for weekends or morning tea treats.
fig and almond tart
8
20M
40M
1H

Ingredients

Frangipane

Method

1.Place a large oven tray in the oven; preheat oven to 200°C.
2.Grease an 11cm x 34cm rectangular loose-based tart tin. Place sheets of pastry, end to end, overlapping by 3mm, on a work surface. Using the tip of a knife, press overlap slightly to join pastry. Cut 5cm from the length of the pastry; discard trimming. Lift pastry into tin; ease into base and sides, trim excess pastry 3mm beyond the edge. Freeze for 10 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, make frangipane: process butter, sugar, eggs and ground almonds until combined. Add flour, then process briefly until mixture is combined.
4.Line pastry with baking paper; fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans; bake a further 8 minutes or until pale golden and almost dry.
5.Spread frangipane onto base of pastry case; smooth surface. Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden and frangipane is puffed and golden. Stand 10 minutes before removing from the tin.
6.Meanwhile, place sugar on a plate. Halve figs, then press cut sides onto sugar to coat well. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. When pan is hot, place a piece of baking paper on the base of the pan (make sure the paper doesn’t extend beyond the edge of the pan or it may catch on fire). Place half the figs, cut-side down, in pan; cook for 3 minutes or until figs are caramelised. Turn over; cook a further 30 seconds. Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining sugared figs.
7.Place warm tart on a serving plate; top with figs, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Serve with cream, if you like.

Using a frying pan to caramelise the fresh figs is a simple technique. You could also place the figs under a preheated grill or use a kitchen blowtorch. Using bought pastry saves heaps of time, then all you need to do is make the frangipane filling quickly in the food processor.

Note

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