fig tart Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Rustic Fig and Ricotta Tart

Again I struck gold at Whole Foods, this time it was with fresh organic figs and even better than that was the price, only three dollars a pint!

Sometimes when I buy fresh figs even though they look and feel ripe, when I get them home they have no flavor at all, does that ever happen to you?

Not the case here, they were all you would ever want in a fig, perfectly ripe, plump and oh so sweet!

I’m dedicating this post to my friend Stacey because she is a true figaholic, if you don’t believe me go check out her blog she has a ton of fig recipes, sweet and savory, all good! If we lived closer I would have brought this over to her house to share.

I love making rustic tarts, nothing sophisticated about them, easy to make, very casual and homey. You can make your own pastry dough or use a good refrigerated one as I did, I’ve had it both ways and it’s equally as good.

For the Ricotta Filling:
1lb ricotta
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
Orange zest
Heaping tablespoon of orange marmalade
Pinch of cinnamon
Beat together on low speed until all incorporated

On a baking sheet place parchment paper, then place your dough round on top of that and prick the bottom with a fork.
Spread ricotta mixture all over except where you’re going to be folding the edges up. Then place figs on top.
Brush the top with a beaten egg or milk, bake at 375F until golden brown, check the bottom with a spatula to make sure it has a nice brown color.

While still warm you can glaze the top with a warmed up preserve if you like.

I had a few figs left over so I decided to make myself a little afternoon treat, this time I decided to caramelize my figs by dipping them cut side down on a plate sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon then placing them down on a grill pan for just a few minutes until caramelized. Place them in a pretty bowl on top of some fat free greek yogurt add a drizzle of honey and crunchy pistachios! It was sinfully good, hope you give it a try!

Buon Appetito

Figs, Sweet and Savory

The other day I came across a small container of the most beautiful fresh figs, you could just smell their sweetness! I knew I had to make something special with them. We’re huge fig fans here and my hubby loves a good custard pie, so when I saw this recipe while searching the Internet, I knew instantly it would be a match made in heaven!

My version I tweaked a little, I didn’t have an 8″ tart pan so I used my 9″ one, I also wanted to lighten it up a bit so I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and 2% milk instead of whole milk. It took longer to bake but I just kept checking it til the custard didn’t wiggle anymore and was completely set. I also doubled the custard amount because my pan was larger, but ended up with some left over. The result was outstanding, and the hubby was a very happy man!

This is a great appetizer to get your sweet and salty fix. We love the taste of fig with warm brie cheese, in fact we often buy a jar of this wonderful fig spread that Whole Foods carries and put it over a wedge of brie that’s been warmed up a little. It’s so good!! These little one bite wonders give you that same flavor but with the added bonus of proscuitto! Your eyes will roll as you taste the combination! I’m not kidding!!

All you have to do is quarter your figs, stick a skewer through them, place a small cube of brie on the side and then wrap with a strip of proscuitto. They’re fragile, so I used my inside grill pan, but you can certainly do them outside if you have a smaller hole grill pan on top of your grates.