free-form fig tart

in effort to get myself back on track,

i invited my family for dinner.

i spent one week thinking and

talking about making lasagna,

but it wasn't until the morning of

that i actually started to look

at recipes.

i've said before that when i'm

cooking a bunch of things, i

prefer to wake up with the

ingredients already in the house.

it was unsettling to make a list

at 11am, leave the house, head

to two grocery stores to collect

five different kinds of cheeses,

three packages of lasagna noodles,

a lot of romaine,

several cans of plum tomatoes,

two loaves of bread,

three heads of garlic

and many other odds and ends.

on the menu:

romaine salad with slow-roasted tomatoes and blue cheese

butternut squash, hazelnut and sage lasagna

spicy turkey sausage and spinach lasagna

garlic bread with chives and lemon zest

fig tart with vanilla bean ice cream

it was a lot.

i even - and this is hard for me

to admit - made a list.

and that's why, when we got home

at 12:30, i started cooking,

grabbed my camera and took

exactly two pictures.

it wasn't until

i pulled the lasagnas out of the oven

that i remembered the camera,

lonely and abandoned,

on the far end of the kitchen.

the lasagnas were a huge hit

and probably catapulted the

night to the top of our dinner

party list. but, without any pictures,

they're a hard sell. so, instead,

i want to tell you about the

delicious, gorgeously rustic,

fig tart.

truth be told,

there aren't many pictures

of the fig tart either,

but this is a dessert that

is both so fast, lovely and simple that

i still feel ok talking about it.

two days before the dinner,

i decided to make crack pie -

we've talked about it in our

office many times and when

the recipe appeared in the

september issue of bon appetit,

i was thrilled. even though

it's a multi-step dessert -

asking you to make cookies,

then grind them up to form

the crust, i knew that it would

be worth it and that my family

would love the pie.

the day before, i started to doubt

the whole thing. i had to work

late that night and i still

didn't have lasagna recipes

chosen. i switched my focus

to a chess pie, a dessert that

every summer i vow to make,

but never do.

but, now it was the morning

of the dinner. i had gotten

home from work at 9pm

the night before and in spite

of drinking two cups of coffee,

i was still feeling that

maybe i unknowingly took

a sleeping pill last night feeling

(i hadn't). between the yet to be picked

lasagna recipes and the tomatoes,

i knew that i would need the oven

for most of the afternoon,

i was again doubting my choice.

and just like that,

the chess pie was out.

i don't remember what i searched

in google. but, the best fig tart, ever,

from chez pim popped up in the first

spot. i scanned the recipe, looked at

the pictures, understood that i would

have to commit to spending a pretty

penny on a lot of figs, that i would

have to make an almond filling

and that i would have to make pastry dough.

i also realized that it is fig season,

that the whole dessert could look a little

imperfect and still be delicious and that

after years of fearing homemade pie dough,

i can now hold my own.

so, somewhere in between

roasting the squash and frying the sage leaves,

i tossed

flour,

sugar,

salt,

butter and

water into the food processor.

while i peeled the roasted garlic,

larry grabbed the dough, flattened

it into a disk and covered with plastic

wrap and chilled until ready to use.

as larry started to cook the sausage,

i tossed roasted almonds and sugar

into the food processor before adding

butter and an egg. the mixture was really

thin, but at that moment the bechamel

started to boil, so i switched gears. when

i returned to the frangipane, it had

thickened nicely.

and when all parts

of both lasagnas were just waiting to be

assembled, i quartered the ripe,

sweet black mission figs, rolled the dough

into a shape that sort of resembled a circle,

and spread the frangipane to just an inch

of the edge. i added the figs, from the inside

out, in sort of concentric circles and folded

the dough in to form a crust.

i sighed and realized that even though i really

didn't want to, i would later regret not

brushing the dough with an egg wash. so i did,

before sprinkling on coarse sugar crystals.

dessert was made and it took less than 20 minutes.

i loosely covered the tart, placed it

back in the fridge and kept it there

until we sat down to eat the salads.

while we ate, the tart baked,

sweetly scenting the house

with caramel and jam.

i wasn't sure which way my family

would fall with this tart - figs are not

something we saw

a lot of growing up. but later,

after playing a very passionate

game of catchphrase, i cut seven slices

and larry added a scoop of vanilla ice cream

to each. we sat around the table.

we ate. just a couple crumbs were left

on only a few plates.

and that night,

i fell asleep glad that we pulled

off a marathon dinner in only a fraction

of the time. i was glad that when

my family arrived, the kitchen

was clean and i was calmly tearing

romaine leaves into a bowl. i was

glad that everyone had a good time.

and, i was glad, that even though

i can often go a little overboard

in the kitchen and out,

i'm starting to know where

to draw the line.

free-form fig tart

adapted from chez pim

i used my standby recipe for the dough that i've written about several times. it's worth repeating it here, so that you don't have to worry about going to another page. als0 - it's up to you, but i always re-chill my pies and tarts for at least 20 minutes before baking to ensure that the dough firms back up, producing a flaky crust. i used black mission figs, but i think that if you find fresh turkish figs in the market, you would enjoy a tart made with those, too.

the almond paste mixture calls for a combination of confectioners' sugar and granulated sugar. if you do not have confectioners' just use 1/3 cup total of granulated sugar.

one more thing: i didn't realize this until i started to write out the recipe, but apparently, i really should not pretend that i can handle math. the recipe called for 75 grams of butter, which i thought i had successfully converted to tablespoons. however, upon further inspection attempting to reconvert for you, it looks like i undershot. and that, probably, is why my almond filling was so thin. below, the correct amount.

pastry dough:

10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1-3 tablespoons ice cold water

cut butter into cubes; place back in fridge until ready to use. in bowl of food processor fitted with the dough attachment, pulse together flour, salt and sugar until combined. add cold butter; pulse just until combined and the mixture resembles small pebbles. with food processor running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon water through tube. continue to drizzle in water, a few drops at a time, just until the mixture combines and forms a cohesive dough. form dough into a ball and flatten into a disc; wrap in plastic wrap. keep in fridge until ready to use.

frangipane

heaping 1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted and cooled

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/8 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

in bowl of food processor, combine almonds and sugar; process until fine. add the butter and the egg; pulse until completely combined. chill three quarters of the mixture for another use.

fig tart

pastry dough

1/4 frangipane mixture

15 medium black mission figs, quartered

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

coarse sugar

heat oven to 400˚f. place dough between two pieces of plastic wrap; using rolling pin, roll dough into 11" round. transfer round to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, removing plastic wrap. spread dough with frangipane, leaving a 1" border.

starting in the center, place figs on top of frangipane, leaving 1" border. fold dough over figs, pressing to secure.

using pastry brush, coat dough with egg mixture (use a paper towel to carefully sop up any egg that has dripped onto the parchment paper). sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar.

chill loosely covered at least 20 minutes. bake 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown. let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

pear and hazelnut crostada

so, i'm back.

and, with one of my favorite

desserts:

a pear crostada that

has successfully served

several thanksgivings.

every year,

after i've had my first bite,

i think, why don't i make

this at the first sign

of fall, when pears are popping

up left and right at the markets?

the answer is simple:

i really don't make desserts

without an occasion.

but if i was the type of person

who decided on a sunday

to just make a pie or tart

to enjoy after dinner,

this would be the one that

i would turn to,

time and time again.

because, without a doubt,

this is my kind of dessert.

reason 1: it's fruit based.

if given the choice,

i will almost always pick a

fruity sweet - something with

apples, plums, peaches,

blueberries, strawberries,

bananas, pineapples -

over a chocolate concoction.

make it an in season,

peak of their prime fruit,

like juicy pears,

and you don't even have to ask.

just cut me a sliver.

reason number 2: it has a crust.

maybe because it took me so

long to feel comfortable making

pie crusts or maybe it's just because

pastry crusts are

buttery, tender and lovely,

but i just think there is something

incredibly special about

pies, tarts

and their flaky bases.

unless you're offering me carrot cake, too,

i'll take the pie, please.

reason number 3: hazelnuts.

i never really understood the power

of these buttery fragrant nuts

until i started making

larry's birthday cake.

but then, i was hooked. once

toasted and husked, they offer

an unparalleled element to sweet

and savory preparations. here,

they get double time to shine:

first, they're ground with flour

to form the base in the crust,

then whirled in the food processor

with butter and brown sugar

to make the crumb topping.

reason number 4: it's a crostada.

ok, if i'm being honest, this is

probably what drew me to the

recipe. when i first printed it out,

years ago, i had finally come to

terms with the fact that it is not

that hard to throw ingredients

in a food processor to make a crust.

but, my rolling, transferring and

pressing prettily into a pie pan skills?

still shaky. a crostada, in which

i could roll the dough out into

as close to a circle as i could get

it, pile it high with pears and then

fold over the edges, this way

and that, was right up my alley.

read: it's forgiving.

reason number 5: it can be made in steps.

well, i don't live with my mom anymore,

but that's where we celebrate thanksgiving.

even though this fall beauty is rustic,

i still think it's a little fragile -

i'd rather not bake, then transport.

(although, probably, that's my own paranoia.)

i love that i can show up

at my mom's house with:

a disk of dough that is still chilled after

an over an hour in the car, a container of

buttery hazelnut crumbs for the top,

three ripe pears and a tiny plastic bag

of flour and sugar to later mix with

those pears. oh, and there's usually

an orange rolling pin sticking

out of my bag, too, but a bottle of wine

would work just as well.

still not convinced?

well, let me tell you a couple other

things. this is the kind of crostada

that makes people tell you how good

it smells in the house before they're

even fully inside. it's the type of

crostada, that i think actually looks fun

to make - so much so that almost every

year, one of my sisters helps roll

the dough, fold the edges

or adds the crumbs on top.

and, most importantly, it's the type of

crostada that makes everyone at my

mom's thanksgiving table take a slice:

from someone who always thinks

they are too full to even come back to the table,

to a chocoholic, to another who doesn't

even eat dessert. ever.

and that, i think, is enough of a reason right there.

pear and hazelnut crostada

adapted from bon appetit magazine

over the years, i've done everything from making the piecrust and crumb topping over the weekend and freezing them until wednesday night, to just making them both thursday morning and chilling until i leave to go to my mom's. they both work just fine. oh, and if you're really on your game, give yourself a head start by toasting and husking the hazelnuts the night before. directions are here.

i should note that the one difficulty i've had with this recipe is the baking time. it instructs 400˚f in the bottom third of the oven for 40 minutes, then 12 more after that. i've never even made it to the extra 12. in fact, 40 minutes seems too long. next year, i am absolutely baking this in the center of the oven for 30 minutes and then checking to prevent it from getting too brown. (in fact, this time, i took it out after about only 26 minutes of baking and it was already darker than i would have liked it.) below, however, i'm including the directions from the original recipe. enjoy it - oh, and pick up some vanilla ice cream, too.

topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked

5 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar

3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed

pinch of salt

in bowl of food processor, combine all ingredients; blend 1 minute, or until clumps form. transfer to small bowl or container; chill until needed. no need to clean the food processor between steps.

crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup bread flour

1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked

3 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed

2-3 tablespoons ice water

in bowl of food processor, combine all-purpose flour, bread flour, hazelnuts, sugar and salt; blend 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until hazelnuts are finely chopped. add butter and pulse, just until coarse meal forms. with motor running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water and process just until a ball of dough forms, adding more water, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary. transfer dough to work surface and form until a ball; flatten into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

when you're ready to bake. heat oven to 400˚f. place dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll dough to a 13-inch round (or as close to a round as you can get), lifting paper, smoothing wrinkles and turning as needed. remove and discard top piece of parchment paper. transfer bottom piece of parchment paper with dough to a large unrimmed baking sheet.

filling

1 3/4 pounds ripe bartlett pears, peeled, quartered, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

in medium bowl, gently combine pears, sugar and flour.

place pear mixture in center of dough, mounding high and leaving a 2-inch border. using parchment paper as an aid, if necessary, fold dough over pears, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks.

sprinkle hazelnut topping over pears (it will seem like a lot, but still, put it all on there). bake 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. (start checking it after about 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.) tent very loosely with foil to prevent over-browning and bake until juices bubble thickly, about 12 minutes more. transfer baking sheet to rack; cool completely or just until warm. slide large spatula under crust to free from parchment and transfer to a platter (note: my mom and i transfer it every year using three large spatulas and finger-crossing.)