FOR CRUST
1 c Finely ground wheat crackers
-such as wheat thins
1/2 c Pine nuts; toasted until
-golden, cooled, and ground
-fine
1 tb Unsalted butter; melted and
-cooled
-FOR FILLING-
1 1/4 lb Cream cheese; softened
1/2 c Mascarpone or sour cream
3 lg Eggs
1 1/4 c Prepared basil pesto
2 lb Firm-ripe fresh figs (about
-16 large), 1 pound cut into
-one quarter inch thick
-slices
1/2 c Fig preserves
1 1/2 tb White-wine vinegar
ACCOMPANIMENT
Baguettes cut diagonally
-into thin slices and
-toasted lightly
Make crust:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter a 10-inch spring form pan. In a bowl
with a fork stir together crust ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
Press mixture into bottom of pan and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes, or
until lightly browned.
Make filling:
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together filling ingredients and salt
and pepper to taste until very smooth.
Assemble torte:
Pour half of filling into crust. Drop dollops of pesto over filling and
spread carefully to form an even topping. (Some filling may show through.)
Top pesto layer with half of fig slices, overlapping them slightly, and
pour remaining filling over figs, spreading evenly. Bake torte in middle of
oven 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until top is golden brown and set. Cool
torte in pan on
a rack (filling will deflate slightly). Chill torte, covered loosely, at
least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
In a small saucepan stir together preserves and vinegar and bring to a
simmer. Remove pan from heat and cool mixture. Stir in salt to taste.
Slice remaining pound figs into 1/4-inch thick slices. Run a thin knife
around edge of pan and remove side. Spread torte with preserves mixture,
leaving a 1/4-inch border, and top decoratively with remaining fig slices.
With 2 large metal spatulas transfer torte to a serving plate. Serve torte
at room temperature to spread on toasts.
Yield: 16 to 32 as an hors d’oeuvre
Yields
1 Servings