fig crostata.

In addition to my hand-picked batch of apples and peaches from our morning at the orchard, I ended up with a pint of beautiful fresh figs from the farmstand there. I admired them every time I opened the fridge, nibbled a few...and then realized that this leisurely approach meant I needed to use the rest of them quickly. This realization coincided with our weekly Mad Men viewing - perfect, I thought. I'll share them. I'll make a fig tart!

Well, sort of. After Epicurious turned up rather disappointing selections, I settled on this Giada De Laurentiis recipe for a fig and almond tart. I don't often remember to try her recipes, and this is really more a crostata than a tart, but it looked like an appealing experiment.

Appealing indeed! This turned out quite well. I did make some changes, including swapping out Giada's crust for the Orangette recipe that has become my standby. The result was very pretty to look at - much like Jon Hamm.


Fig Crostata
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis; crust from Orangette

Crust:
4 tbsp. ice water, plus more as needed
3/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
9 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Filling:
3 1/2 oz. almond paste
1/3 c. mascarpone cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. honey
around 10-12 small fresh figs, stems and bases trimmed off, sliced into 3 discs each
scant 1/4 c. apricot jam (*I warmed mine with some water to thin it, then strained it to make it smooth)


Make crust:
1. In small bowl, combine ice water and vinegar.

2. In food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal; there should be no pieces of butter larger than a small pea.

3. With the processor running, slowly add water-vinegar mixture, processing just until moist clumps form. If you pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it, it should hold together. If the dough seems dry, add more ice water by the teaspoon, pulsing each time.

4. Turn out the dough onto a board or clean countertop, gathering and pressing it into a disk about 1 1/2" thick. Wrap in plastic and then press a bit more, massaging away any cracks around the edges so that you have a smooth disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be kept in refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.)

Make filling:
5. In food processor, combine almond paste, mascarpone, vanilla, and honey. Blend until smooth.

Assemble crostata:
6. On parchment or wax paper, roll out dough into an 11" circle. (You may need to let the dough sit at room temperature a few minutes so that it's soft enough to work with.) Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Spread the almond/mascarpone filling over the dough, leaving a 2"-3" border. Arrange sliced figs on top of almond filling, overlapping slightly. Spread/drizzle a light layer of jam on top. (I didn't use the entire amount.)

8. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8" round, pleating the edges gently and pinching any cracks in the dough.

9. Bake until golden, about 40 mins. Cool on baking sheet for 10 more mins., then remove tart and finish cooling on wire rack.

Viola looks disdainfully at our dessert spread: fig crostata, apple cake (C.), and lemon thyme shortbread (M.).

almond macaroon torte.

This is not simple to whip up, nor is it a particularly light dessert. [Pats stomach gingerly at memory of over-fullness.] Because really, anything that uses over a pound (!) of chocolate in the frosting isn't going to leave you feeling peckish. But if sometimes, like me, you're in the mood for both a culinary project and a decadent dessert, this almond macaroon torte fits the bill perfectly.

It did cause me some kitchen-distress. A large part of the pleasure of baking lies, for me, in the presentation. That's what initially drew me to this cake, after all. (Besides the aforementioned pound of chocolate.) All went smoothly through trimming the edges of the macaroons with a ruler to regain their straight edges. But then I found, to my dismay, that the frosting had stiffened up much more quickly than I'd expected, leaving me not to spread it as planned but to pat on a bit at a time, using the heat of my hands to melt it together. Not quite the effect I'd hoped for. But it worked out in the end, thanks to some patching help from M. The moral of this story: frost quickly! Or you end up with chocolate playdough.

Almond Macaroon Torte
from smitten kitchen

Macaroons
2 1/2 c. (10.5 oz. or 300 g.) slivered almonds (or an equivalent weight of blanched, sliced, or already-ground almonds)
1 c. plus 3 tbsp. sugar
2 large pinches kosher salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 egg whites

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
Flavoring of your choice, such as 1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (*I was hurrying a bit and so forgot this step; next time - and, oh, there will be a next time - I might try a glug of Grand Marnier)
20 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 c. sliced almonds (*I didn't toast mine, though you certainly could)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Draw two 12" x 4" rectangles on a piece of parchment paper, leaving at least an inch or two in between them. Repeat with another sheet of parchment. Place on baking sheets, turning the parchment over so that your pencil marks don't seep into the macaroons. (Ick.)

2. Blend almonds, 1 c. sugar, and salt in food processor until finely ground.

3. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Drizzle in vanilla and then slowly add remaining 3 tbsp. sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into egg whites.


4. Spoon 1/4 of macaroon batter into each rectangle, smoothly gently to fill the outline completely. Bake until golden and almost firm to the touch, rotating the sheets at least once, for about 23 minutes. Cool.


5. For frosting, simmer water and sugar in medium saucepan until sugar dissolves. Measure 10 tbsp. and discard the rest or save it for another use. Put back in saucepan and add flavoring of your choice; bring to a boil, then add chocolate. Remove from heat and let sit 1 min., then stir until smooth.

6. To assemble, use a sharp knife and a ruler to trim your macaroons back to their original shape. (*This step also means yummy macaroon scraps!) Place one macaroon on a long platter (*see my note), sliding a thin strip of parchment under each side to create a clean edge when you're finished. Spread about 1/2 c. of frosting, then top with another macaroon. Repeat twice, placing the last macaroon on top with its flat side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of torte; press sliced almonds onto all 4 sides. Store at room temp.


*Note about the platter: I don't have a rectangular platter, so I cut two flaps off a shipping box that was waiting to be recycled, taped them together, than covered the top first with a scrap of wrapping paper and then with plastic wrap. Makeshift pretty platter! (And not my first; this also comes in handy if you're going to a party and don't want to worry about getting your tart/cake pan back at the end of the evening.) Just don't let it bend!