The summer is here once again and it just seems to get hotter every year. It almost feels unbelievable that just one month back it was so pleasant and I could still find fruit like strawberries, figs and other winter produce at the market.
As I child, I don’t think I even knew what figs were. At some point, when I was much older, I came across dried figs. I first discovered them at my cousin’s house, in the gift boxes containing dried fruit and nuts which were normally exchanged during Diwali.
This was in north India where figs are commonplace enough but still a rarity in south India, where I am from.
Then I found dried figs were being sold by my spice vendor in Kochi. They’re very attractive and quaint (many people don’t think so, but I do), sold as little bracelet sized circles or longer garlands made of flattened discs of fig strung through the centre with natural twine.
On an aside, did you know that the fig is not really a fruit, but the flower of the fig tree?
Then last year, I saw fresh figs for the first time at my local market. I think I caught them at the end of the season because when I went back the figs were gone! Then last month I saw them again.
I have always liked eating dried figs and really love the chewy taste of the dried fruit with the slight crunch from the seeds. So it is not surprising I would like fresh figs and brought some home.
Surprisingly, no one seemed to want this fresh fruit other than myself! So much the better, I thought, since I didn’t have to share. However, I did have more fresh figs on hand than I could eat by myself and fresh figs aren’t famous for their ability to keep.
There was only one thing to be done. Make something with figs! But what?
Given that I had been making a lot of jam and chutney, I wasn’t very thrilled by the idea of making some more jam or preserve. After a lot of recipe searching and thought, I made small fig tarts with cardamom scented frangipane.
I used the pate sable recipe from last month’s Daring Baker challenge for the crust, and I used Pim’s frangipane recipe for which she uses to make her “best ever fig tart”! Instead of making one big tart, I made small individual tarts, finally putting to use the tart tins Deeba had sent me some time back. I also decided to flavour the frangipane with my favourite spice, cardamom.
You can use blanched almonds, and your frangipane will be a nice whitish colour, but I use almonds with the skin on. I like the flecked brown in the frangipane, which is a good thing because I’m too lazy to blanch and skin the almonds.
You can also make these tarts with other fresh fruit like pears, mangoes, sweet plums, etc.
Fresh Fig And Cardamom Scented Frangipane Tart
Ingredients
- 8 to 9 figs , depending on their size
For the crust (pate sablee):
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100 gm butter , chilled and cubed
- xbd tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsps sugar granulated
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 2 tbsps water chilled
Frangipane:
- 3/4 cup almonds toasted
- 1/4 cup sugar granulated
- 4 pods cardamom
- 75 gm butter at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsps milk cold (optional to thin the frangipane)
Instructions
- Making the crust:
- Put the flour, chilled butter, and baking powder into your processor bowl and run with u201conu201d and u201coffu201d spurts till the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Whisk the egg yolk and vanilla extract and add to the mixture along with the sugar.
- Run the processor only till the mixture starts clumping together. Add the chilled water one tbsp at a time, and run the processor again only till the dough just comes together.
- Take the dough out, gather into a ball and then flatten it into dics. Wrap this and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Lightly butter six 4u201d tart moulds with removable bottoms. Take the dough out and place on a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness and cut out 6 circles about 6u201d diameter each. You should be able to line six 4u201d tart moulds.
- Gather the scraps, roll again and cut out the required circles. Do not work the dough more than absolutely necessary even though this particular pastry is rather forgiving.
- Prick the pastry all over with a fork and then bake at 180C for 20 minutes or till a faint golden brown. Remove the tart cases from the moulds and cool on a rack.
- Making the frangipane:
- Run the toasted almonds, sugar and cardamom seeds (remove them from the pods) in your grinder/ processor till finely ground (sandy texture) but not pasty. If you grind the almonds too much, the oil gets released making the mixture pasty.
- Add the butter and process again till mixed. Now add the egg and process till the frangipane is smooth.
- This recipe makes more frangipane than is needed in this recipe. You will need about half of it. You can refrigerate the remainder (will keep for about 2 to 3 days) or freeze it (should keep for about a month) and use it in something else.
- Making the fig tarts:
- Wash the figs and trim both ends. Cut the figs into slices or eights lengthwise, according to your preference.
- If your frangipane is too thick, you can add a little milk (do not add too much) to the amount of frangipane youu2019re using for these tarts. Mix very well.
- Put the tarts back in their moulds, and spoon the frangipane equally into the 6 tarts. Arrange the fig pieces/ slices decoratively on the frangipane.
- Bake the tarts at 180C for about 30 minutes, till the frangipane is cooked and starts browning.
- Cool on racks and serve slightly warm or cold. You can serve them as they are or with a bit of whipped cream or thick yogurt.
Notes
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
I love figs, dried or fresh ones, never baked with them. I am sure it tasted good and anyway it looks beautiful.
never heard of this recipe before, looks so nice and perfect! great effort!
Looks very pretty!I became a fan of frangipane after a daring bakers challenge…makes a great combination with figs
This looks just delicious !!
These little tarts look so cute and are beautifully made.
Aprana,How are you doing? I love figs and I thought that the fig tart that you have posted must have tasted yum. I have some figs, will give this one a try next week. Thanks for sharing and I hope you are doing fine.
the only way ive had figs is dried figs and honey…my roomie used to make that all the time! This looks soo gorgeous! a lot of hardwork but still might try it one day!
These look & sound delicious! I, like you, did not discover fresh figs until later in life (I was in my 20s) but it was love at first taste. These little tarts are adorable, and I have a vegan frangipan so I will be making these as soon as fresh figs make their débuts at our markets here in France.
Wow,never knew figs were flowers!.Here fresh figs are available thgh at a price. So I rarely purchase them.Never tried a tart. Excellent it looks.
I adore figs. Love that you used that pate sablee recipe again – it was quite nice, wasn’t it? And this tart looks amazing.
One my fav tart forever…I love frangipane…yummm. I am really drooling seeing this, that too with figs oooh wow….
Me looovess fresh figs!! :)) interesting that fresh and dried have such different flavors!
I once made fig jam from dried figs, looked beautiful with those seeds, but it was so hard I couldn’t scoop out anything – needless to say, had to throw it away. This was in my college days, when I was experimenting with high-class food, not the staples.
These tarts look absolutely delicious!!
Fresh figs are one of my absolute favorite fruits. These tarts look like they do them good justice — lovely!
I know pate sablee from last month’s DB challenge must be great for something, and now you just proved it 🙂 This frangipane tart really looks good.Sawadee from Bangkok,Kris
These looks delicious love the click
this looks so pretty and seems delightfully simple!
These sound wonderful Aparna.
Oh yes indeed, these look fabulous to me. Thank you for using the tins Aparna! Can say that I am entirely envious of the fact that you get fresh figs? Gorgeous. I made mine in similar tins too. Chez Pim’s frangipane tecipe is very very good!
I love fig desserts, this one looks spectacular!!