=== FOR THE DOUGH ===
1 1/2 c All-purpose flour
2 tb Sugar
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Cold; unsalted butter – (1
-stick), cut into bits
4 tb Ice water
1/2 ts Vanilla
=== FOR THE FILLING ===
6 tb Unsalted butter; softened
6 tb Sugar
1 lg Egg; beaten lightly
2/3 c Finely-ground blanched
-almonds
1/2 ts Vanilla
1 pn Ground cinnamon
1 pn Freshly-grated nutmeg
1/2 lb Figs; stemmed, quartered
=== FOR THE SAUCE ===
1 1/2 c Dry red wine
3 Figs; stemmed, quartered
2/3 c Granulated sugar
1 Cinnamon stick
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To make the dough, combine flour, sugar,
salt and butter in a bowl with your hands until it resembles a coarse meal.
In a separate small bowl combine the ice water and vanilla and add it to
the flour mixture and combine until the dough forms a ball. Wrap the dough
in plastic and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured board
roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick and large enough to fit into a 9-inch
tart pan. Trim the edges and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork.
Line the crust with parchment paper and weigh it down with dry beans. Bake
the dough in the oven for 20 minutes and then remove. Lower the oven
temperature to 375 degrees. In an electric mixing bowl beat softened butter
and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg and
combine. Stir in almonds, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon the mixture
into the baked tart shell and top with the quartered figs. Bake the tart
for 25 minutes or until golden brown. To make the sauce, in a saucepan
combine the red wine, figs, sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and
simmer until the wine is reduced by half. Remove the cinnamon stick and
transfer the sauce to a blender and puree. Strain into a saucepan and
simmer until lightly thickened. Let cool 1 to 2 minutes. Brush the sauce
over the tart and serve with more sauce on the side. This recipe yields 6
servings.
Yields
6 servings