fig tart with frangipane

one of the biggest joys of living with a group of friends is always having an audience to cook for (and with)--people who can astutely point out to you, in regard to desserts such as this, that the flavor profile is markedly similar to a "gussied up PB&J."
and so it is. my frangipane (an almond paste made from nuts, eggs, sugar, and butter) did get suspiciously peanutty somewhere along the way--i might even skip toasting the nuts next time, just to keep it a touch more delicate. and figs, inevitably, oozed into jammy sweetness in the best way possible, leaving the flaky crust in lieu of, say, pepperidge farm whole wheat sandwich bread.

peanut butter and jelliness aside, it's still delicious. you can make it a free-form galette-style tart, as pim does, but i wanted to test out my new (i.e. goodwill-acquired) fluted tart pan. (very pretty, but makes slicing a pain.)
a thin wedge with a disc of ice cream makes for a delicate (and very pretty) dessert--although to be honest, next time i might skip the frangipane altogether and go for a balsamic and honey reduction drizzled on top.fig tart
frangipane courtesy of chez pim, crust via martha stewart
serves 8-10

make crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  
• 2 tbsp ice water
  
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

in the bowl of a food processor (or in a mixing bowl), combine flour and sugar. add butter, and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal, approximately 10 seconds. (to mix by hand, use a pastry blender or two table knives to cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized chunks of butter.)

with the machine running, gradually add water and egg yolk through the feed tube (or if mixing by hand, simply pour in). process (or stir with wooden spoon) just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds. test the dough at this point by squeezing a small amount together. if it is crumbly, add a bit more water.

turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. grasping the ends of the plastic wrap with your hands, press dough into a flat circle with your fists. this makes rolling easier than if the pastry is chilled as a ball. wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least an hour.

while dough is chilling, make frangipane:

• 1/2 cup whole, raw almonds
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
  
• 5 tbsps butter, at room temperature
  
• 1 large egg

put the almonds and the sugar into a food processor and process until fine (full disclosure: i did this in a coffee grinder. not perfect, but it worked). add the butter and the egg and pulse until well-combined. if you don't want to use it right away, divide the frangipane into four equal parts, wrap each tightly in plastic. they will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, and up to a month in the freezer.

assemble tart:

• pastry dough, above
  
• 15 large fresh figs (i used 24 smaller black mission figs, pim used dakota)
  
• between 1/4 and 1/2 of the frangipane, above
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)
• 2 tbsps raw or sanding sugar, for sprinkling

preheat the oven to 400°F. roll out your pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to about 10" diameter, if making a free-form tart, and 12" if using a 9" tart pan. a round of parchment paper along the bottom of your baking sheet or tart pan might be a good idea. transfer crust to your baking vehicle of choice and spread frangipane to taste on the dough, leaving a 1" perimeter around the outer edge of the dough. quarter the figs (or halve, if small) and arrange them, pointy ends up, in concentric circles to cover the frangipane. fold the edges in (or trim to fit if using a tart pan), pinching a little to make sure they stick. if you're free-forming, feel free to brush the edges of the crust with a beaten egg. sprinkle the whole thing with raw sugar and bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown.
serve warm with a scoop of ice cream. vanilla is wonderful but i imagine brown butter, brown sugar, caramel, burnt honey or cinnamon ice cream would all be fantastic.