Bonjour and welcome to recipe no. 26.
I made this tart for my husband’s birthday, he’s a fig lover, like any good southerner should be.
My shortcrust pastry recipe may seem long and complicated to make, but don’t be fooled: it’s actually very simple. The reason I go into detail is that food blogs often skip important steps. With my instructions, you should get it right on the first try. And once you’ve got the hang of it, it will become child’s play.
Don’t be afraid of the pastry cream. All it takes is careful attention while cooking. As soon as you feel it thickening under the whisk, take it off the heat immediately.
And whatever you do, don’t forget the butter at the end, I still occasionally do! Without it, the cream will stay quite firm. Not bad, of course, but the butter gives it that silky texture and surprising lightness.
Fig tart
Tarte aux figues
Ingredients
Serves 8 (using a 24 x 3.5 cm / 9½ x 1½ inch tart pan or ring)
Shortcrust pastry
Extra pastry cream
(makes about 800 g / 28 oz of cream)
1 vanilla bean
500 ml whole milk (about 2 cups / 16 fl oz — whole milk is important!)
4 egg yolks
100 g white sugar (½ cup / 3.5 oz)
50 g cornstarch (about ⅓ cup / 1.8 oz)
50 g butter (about 3½ tbsp / 1.8 oz)
A few black figs
Step 1: Infuse the vanilla milk (the day before, mandatory)
Take a saucepan with a good non-stick bottom and bring 500 ml whole milk (about 2 cups / 16 fl oz) to a boil. Stir often so it doesn’t stick.
Split open 1 vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds, and add both seeds and pod to the milk.
Let the milk cool, then refrigerate with the vanilla pod for 24 hours to infuse.
Step 2: Make the shortcrust pastry (the day before)
Step 3: Prepare the extra pastry cream (on the day of serving)
Note: this cream does not freeze well.
Get everything ready: from this point on, things move fast. Weigh and set aside all your ingredients.
Keep close at hand:
4 clarified1 egg yolks
The infused milk from the fridge
120 g sugar (a little less than ⅔ cup / 4.2 oz)
50 g cornstarch (about ⅓ cup / 1.8 oz)
50 g butter (about 3½ tbsp / 1.8 oz)
1 mixing bowl
1 whisk
1 small sieve
In a saucepan, pour in the vanilla milk. Remove the pod, then heat until it comes to a boil, stirring occasionally.
From here on, stay focused: the cream thickens quickly.
In a bowl, whisk together the 4 egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Don’t whisk too long, you don’t want the mixture to turn pale or foamy.
Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking well each time.
Strain everything back into the saucepan, then cook over high heat. Whisk constantly without stopping until the cream thickens.
As soon as it looks silky, not too liquid, not too thick, remove from the heat. Add the butter and mix well. With practice, you’ll know exactly when to stop.
Pour the cream onto a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap tightly so no air touches it. Let cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Step 4: Assemble the tart
Take the cream out of the fridge, unwrap it, and whisk until smooth again.
Spread the cream gently over the tart shell with a spatula.
Wash the figs, slice them thinly, and arrange delicately over the cream.
Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments!
To clarify eggs (clarifier des oeufs, in French) means to separate the egg white from the yolk.