On Saturday hubby ran a race down in Massachusetts. The race was near my old job. I just had to stop by the local Whole Foods Market. I had not been since I started working in New Hampshire. While there I picked up some fresh figs.
I’m a little ashamed to admit I did not know that figs came in a fresh form until I started seeing them pop up on Finding Vegan. I always thought that figs only came in a dried form, similar to the dates I know. I was unsure of how they would taste. I expected a sort of berry-like flavor because I found them between the blueberries and raspberries.
I was surprised by the taste. It was a very light sweetness, but somehow almost too sweet. The texture is soft but not grainy like the appearance would appear.
I wanted to try using the figs in baking. I had seen some amazing fig pizzas on the site. I found an amazing looking fig tart recipe on chez pim. I decided to veganize it and add cranberries to it.
The base of the chez pim recipe is something called frangipane. It’s an almond, “butter”, and sugar mixture. Frangipane actually is a filling made of almonds. I added cinnamon to the mixture as well.
I cheated on the pie crust again, but the franginpane is spread out on a pie crust. In the picture above it was very much too thick. The tart only uses a small fraction of the total quantity produced.
Adapted from Chez Pim
Ingredients
- 1 stick earth balance, room temperature
- 1/2 cup agave nectar
- 1 cup whole almond
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Place ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
The figs are placed on the frangipane in concentric circles with cranberries scattered about.
The edge of the pie crust is folded over and pinched over the figs. The edge of the crust is wet with water. I sprinkled sugar all over the top of the tart. I used coconut palm sugar for this purpose.
The cranberry fig tart really does come out tasting different from the raw figs. The sugar is more apparent. The textures are more contrasting.
Adapted from Chez Pim
Ingredients
- 1 9" round of vegan pie crust
- 1/4 to 1/2 of frangipane recipe above
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cranberries
- 15 small figs, quartered
- coconut palm sugar, sprinkled
Instructions
- Roll out pie crust
- Spread out frangipane on the crust.
- Place figs in concentric circles. Sprinkle cranberries around figs.
- Fold in edge of crust. Pinch down.
- Wet down edges of crust. Sprinkle crust with coconut palm sugar. (Optional) sprinkle palm sugar over fruit as well.
- Bake at 400F for 45 to 50 minutes.
Isn’t it fun to try new fruit? I think the next recipe I will try will have to be with raw fresh figs. I want to see how I can blend the flavor.
Have you ever tried fresh figs? What do you think of them?
I'm an engineer, an animal lover, a runner and an ex-rower. I like medical devices, big ships and mountains. This is my journey teaching myself to make healthy foods and explore the world of vegan and vegetarian cuisine.
I LOVE figs and this tart looks UNREAL. I recently made fig bars and have been dying to make another recipe using this season’s best fruit! Thanks for the great recipe!
I’ll have to try your fig bar. I’m impressed by them. I didn’t even know they were a fall fruit. That makes me feel like a healthy eating newbie. Maybe it’s because of my regional location?
Dzaang this looks good. I tried fresh figs for the first time this summer–they were okay, but I wasn’t amazed–and especially not for the price. Is it bad if I like dried better?
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It’s not bad at all. I don’t remember if I liked dried figs. Their look just turns me off. It’s a shame you don’t live closer, you could have some. I’m addicted and might just finish it off after class.
Haha, dried figs definitely aren’t pretty. And tart sounds like the perfect after class treat. Hmm, I need to do more baking so I have tasty things to come home to after work!
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Wow – what a lovely tart!
I love figs and I love your tart
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