A friend asked me why I haven't posted any Halloween projects - I guess I forgot! I've been busy working on a few things - nothing finished except this little ditty - which I totally ripped off from my friend Stephanie, the artist - go see my inspiration by clicking here. Stephanie is so creative and clever - I love her use of colors and the fun she creates - in my next life I'd like to be her! In the meantime, here's what I did...
Seize the night - made from wool, bound with cotton, backed with flannel - I'll either use it as a hot pad or a coaster, though it's rather large for that or I could stick it up with a thumb tack on the wall - options, that's what I've got here! The mister looked at it and said, "Carp what? Dead fish?" Obviously he didn't learn latin in cave-school, but how do you get dead fish out of jack-o-lanterns, black/orange, one week before Halloween?!?
While dining in Belagio...funny how that just rolls off the tongue - give it a go, you'll see what I mean...I'll probably work that into every conversation for the rest of my life...anyway...while dining in Belagio I had the most delicious fig tart...it had a very light layer of frangipane (a creamy filling made from almonds), and fresh figs encased in pastry - made better because we were sitting on the shores of Lake Como...in the sun. It was an easy recipe to duplicate, however finding black mission figs this time of year is a bit trickier! I found mine at Pike Place Market - it's the end of the fig season which usually lasts from June through mid-October - so if you want to make this tart - and I think you should - act quickly!!
The pastry is quickly made in the food processor - but allow time for it to chill in the refrigerator/freezer before assembling tart. I spread a thin layer of frangipane over the rolled out pastry - it's so good, a bit lighter than almond butter and would be excellent to use in a chocolate dessert or a peach pie - YUM! Next up, you layer the figs, face up - I only had 8 figs, next time I would buy more and use about 12 - so the tart is loaded with them. Fold the pastry up and over the figs, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake ...it's a slice of Italy - worthy of 5 dangs on the ol' meter!
Rustic Fig Tart - Pots and Pins
parchment paper
8 to 12 fresh figs, stems removed, sliced in half, then each half sliced into thirds
turbinado sugar for sprinkling (turbinado sugar has larger sugar crystals than granulated sugar and it is brown in color - it can be found in most grocery stores)
For the Pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
For the Frangipane:
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
Make the pastry: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse a few times. Cut up the butter into small pieces and sprinkle over the flour/salt. Process until the mixture is crumbly, about 20 seconds. Add in the sour cream, lemon juice and water and process until mixture begins to form clumps. Remove from food processor and dump entire contents of bowl onto parchment paper. Without kneading, press the crumbs together until you have a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or place in the freezer for 20 minutes. When ready to roll out the dough, place dough between two sheets of parchment and roll into a 12-inch circle or there abouts. Don't worry if the circle isn't even, it's a rustic tart so it can be "free-form!"
While the pastry is chilling, make the frangipane: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool to room temperature. Put the cooled almonds and sugar into the food processor and process until there are no large bits. Add the butter and egg and pulse until well blended. Frangipane will keep in the refrigerator for up a few days and in the freezer for a month. You will only use 1/4 of the frangipane so wrap up the rest to save for another great dessert!
To assemble tart: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After rolling out dough between parchment paper sheets, remove top sheet, lift entire bottom sheet carefully and place on top of a rimmed baking sheet, folding edges of paper under to fit the baking sheet. It's okay if the dough hangs off the edges a bit as it will be folded up. Spread frangipane (reserving the rest for a later use) on top of the rolled out pastry, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch margin all the way around. Top the frangipane with the sliced figs, placing them in circles and then filling in any spots with smaller pieces. Fold the pastry up and over the figs, pinching to secure where needed. Sprinkle entire tart with turbinado sugar. Bake in oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until tart is golden brown. Remove from oven and lift up the parchment paper carefully to a rack to cool completely. Serves 6 to 8.
So sweet, flaky pastry, just all-round yummy...you won't be disappointed with this one!