You HAVE to make this.... {fig and frangipane tart}

I came across this recipe late one night, filed it away (or maybe i even printed it off straight away) and added it to my collection as I love any recipe that includes fresh figs, because I have an enourmous fig tree out the backyard and always need ways to use them.

When it came time to make it, I was looking after some other kids, so had a brood double my normal and given the weather was lousy, I sat them all around my kitchen bench and began to bake with them.

One tipped in the butter, the other the sugar, and they all watch me slice open the figs.  They laughed as I rolled out the pastry and I think we even were making "Apple Eyes"* with fruit from the fruit bowl.  

This tart is amazing, to say the least.  I was concentrating on baking with four children under 5 that I didn't consider for a moment just how delicious this tart would be, but when it came out of the oven, and those sweet little friends mother  came to pick them up, we promptly decided a coffee and some tart would be ideal.

Here is what you need;

sheet of short crust pasty (or you could make your own)
100g butter
100g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
100g almond meal
8 fresh figs, halved  (although i'm thinking other fruits could be used when figs are no longer in season!)
jam (like strawberry or apricot - but this is optional)

What you need to do;

1 - preheat your oven to 200 degrees, get your pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw out a little till you can roll it out of a floured surface.  I didn't have a loose-bottom flan tin, so I used a slice tin, but lined it with baking paper.  Place the pastry in your choice of tin and put some baking paper over the top and use either baking beans or rice and blind bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans/rice and bake again for a further 5 minutes.
2. Reduce the oven to 180 degrees, in a bowl beet together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Gradually at the beaten egg, the almond meal and combine until you a a soft paste (like peanut butter).
3. Spoon the paste into the pastry case (you might find this a little sticky, i used a spatula and it worked a treat to get it in all the corners).  Place the figs on top, snuggling them down into the paste.  I like to put my figs open way up, but it doesn't matter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the past is set and golden.
4.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and with a pastry brush, give a generous brush with a jam of your choice to add a lovely gloss to the dish.

Serve as is, or with ice-cream or creme fraiche. Yum!

*Apple eyes - put two apples infront of your eyes and hey presto kids think it's hilarious!