Fig and almond crostata
“The fig is a fruit like no other - historic, ancient and evocative.”
Almond pastry
- 70g blanched almonds
- 100g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 100g castor sugar
- 1 whole egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- 200g plain flour
- a pinch of salt
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups cream
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- zest of one quarter orange
- 1 bay leaf (fresh if available)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 6 fresh figs, cut in quarters
When buying figs, choose ones that aren't bruised or blemished. When figs are really ripe they will feel heavy and their skin will be paper thin and split easily. However, they deteriorate quickly once ripe and are also incredibly delicate, especially at their ripest and best, so eat them straight away or keep them in the fridge. But don't hang on to them for long - they just don't last.
Method
For the pastry
Heat oven to 180C.
Whizz almonds in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs.
In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg and yolk, and mix until combined.
Combine flour, salt and almond meal and add to the bowl, mixing until just incorporated and the mixture comes together to form a dough. On a floured work bench, gently knead dough to a smooth ball, but don't overwork it. Press down to form a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Grease a 24cm loose-bottomed tart tin.
Roll out chilled pastry to about 5mm thick and line tart tin with the pastry. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork two or three times and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Blind bake for 12-15 minutes, or until pale gold. Leave to cool. Reduce oven to 175C.
For the filling
Combine cream, fennel, orange zest and bay leaf in a pot. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, or until the cream has reduced by half.
Remove from heat, stir in sugar and strain into a bowl. Allow to cool. Whisk egg into cooled cream mixture.
Line pastry base with figs, carefully pour over cream and sugar and bake for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving.
