Frangipane Fig Tart
A frangipani tart is a classic French dessert with a easy shortbread crust and a creamy almond flavored filling. The tart is baked and cooled then topped with fig jam and fresh figs.
Servings: 16 Servings
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Pastry Crust:
- 2 cups 240 grams flour
- ½ cup 60 grams powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cup 169 grams/12 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
For the Frangipane Filling:
- 8 oz. almond paste see notes
- 1 cube 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup toasted and ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 large eggs
For the Fig Topping:
- 8 oz. fig jam
- 2 pints fresh figs about 20-25 figs
Instructions
For the Shortbread Pastry Crust:
- Reserve an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
- Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine.
- Distribute the butter pieces over the flour mixture and process the mixture until it looks like fine sand.
- In a small dish, whisk the egg yolks, cream and vanilla together. Pulse the machine while pouring the egg mixture into the cover-opening. Pulse just until combined and the mixture is crumbly.
- Tip the pastry mixture into the tart pan. With your fingers or the back of a tablespoon, press dough up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup to press the mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom of the tart pan.
- Prick the dough with a fork and place the tart pan on a baking sheet then set it into the freezer for 30-minutes to firm up.
Bake the Pastry Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Remove the frozen pastry tart from the freezer.
- Rip off a large piece of aluminum foil and coat one side with non-stick oil spray and place it oil-side-down, over the pastry. Press the foil tightly against the frozen pastry, molding it to the pastry and over the edge. There is no need for pie weights.
- Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack and remove and discard the foil. Allow the pastry crust to cool completely before adding the filling.
For the Frangipane Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- On medium-high speed, using the paddle attachment, beat the almond paste, butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds and almond extract together until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Spread the filling into the baked pastry crust, set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 38-40 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
For the Fig Topping:
- While the tart is cooling, rinse the figs under cold tap water, pat dry with a paper towel and remove their stems. Slice each fig in half lengthwise.
- Spread the fig jam over the top of the cooled tart filling and arrange the figs, cut side up, in concentric circles, starting at the rim and working toward the center.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, then remove from the pan, place on a serving plate and if desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Notes
- Almond paste is available at most major supermarkets in the baking supply aisle.
- Almond paste is a baking ingredient that is soft and spreadable with a higher percentage of almonds marzipan. Marzipan is a sweet, ready-to-eat confection and it is not the same as almond paste.
- When buying figs, the should be ripe but not soft or bruised, wiggle the stem and if it wiggles it is too ripe. Try to buy figs of the same size.
- The shortbread crust and the frangipane filling can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Add the jam and figs when ready to serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 98mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 38g
