Fig Tart

With an abundance of figs at the farmer's market right now I thought I would experiment with a simple tart. The frangipane added a nice creamy touch, but it it is just as good without the almond paste. I used two varieties of small figs: Celeste and LSU Purple.

This made one tasty, good looking treat!

Ingredients
One Crust (recipe follows)
Frangipane (recipe follows)
10-20 figs, depending on size
One egg yolk

One tablespoon of melted butter

Crust
8 tbs. unsalted butter (chilled)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4-9 tbs. ice water

Cut the butter into small squares. In a medium size bowl, using your hands, mix the butter in with the flour until the butter is flattened into small pieces about the size of dimes. Make a well in the middle and add the ice water. Mix until the dough forms a ball. You should use just enough water for the mixture to hold together (at high altitude I am using almost 9 tbs. of water, in New Orleans I use less than 5tbs). Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Frangipane

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

5 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon organic orange zest

dash of cream or whole milk

Preheat oven to 350. On a baking sheet toast almonds for about 8 minutes until they just start giving off an aroma. Transfer to a dish and let them cool.

In a food processor blend almonds and sugar until finely ground. Add butter, cream, egg and orange zest and pulse until well blended.

This will make a lot more frangipane than this recipe requires. I have frozen my leftovers in two separate containers until I decide what to make next with this tasty paste!

Putting it all together

Preheat oven to 375F.

On a floured work surface roll out the dough as thin as you can in all directions. Fold it in half over itself legthwise and then horizontally. Roll out again. Continue to fold and roll at least four or five times. The dough should be very thin and stretchy. At this point transfer to a baking sheet and spread a layer of frangipane on the surface of the shell leaving about an inch of border all the way around. Slice figs into quarters (large figs) or halves (small figs). Set half a fig down in the center, skin side down. Add concentric circles of figs around until you reach the perimeter border. Fold the edges up and over the outside row of figs, pinching the dough together as necessary. Brush the outside crust with egg yolk for a nice golden crust. Brush the figs with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar over the figs and crust.

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Pairing suggestions: A tasty muscat from Australia would be perfect!

The Best Tomato Sandwich

Admittedly I make my own bread for this scrumptious sandwich. But short of that a good, hearty artisanal bread (wheat or sourdough) will work. The key to this sandwhich is the simplicity and quality of the ingredients.

Ingredients

Two slices bread

One Heirloom local tomato--Brandywine and Black Krim are tasty options (those flown in from faraway places just won't cut it, sorry), thickly sliced.

Basil, torn

Sriracha mayonnaise (recipe follows)

Spinach

Optional: Fried oysters, bacon

Sriracha Never-Fail Mayonnaise

One egg yolk

One tablespoon of Dijon mustard (preferably Maille)

Pinch of salt

Olive oil (approximately one cup)
Sriracha Hot Sauce

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Warm a bowl in hot water and dry. Place the bowl over warm water and add to it the egg yolk, mustard, and salt. Whisk to make sure that these items are at room temperature. Remove bowl from water and place on the counter. While continuously whisking slowly add olive oil. Make sure the oil is emulsifying with the yolk mixture. Continue to pour approximately 1 cup of oil. When finished mix in about a tablespoon of Sriracha--more if you can handle the kick.

Compose Your Sandwich

Spread a thick layer of mayo on your lightly toasted bread and assemble with the rest of the ingredients as you would a sandwich! It will drip a lot so watch out!

Enjoy!

Pairing Suggestions: This would be great with a light, fresh rose from southern France or with a light lager. Or a homemade glass of sparkling lemonade!