Apple and Fig Tart

I absolutely LOVE making tarts. They are simple, delicious and always impress your guests. The beauty is that they are a dessert that can be made ahead of time before a dinner party. One of the tricks to entertaining to have as much prepared ahead of time, so you can actually enjoy your own party. The more organized you are, the more at ease your guests will be and you will have a splendid time.

I made this tart for my recent dinner party entitled, “An Evening Celebration of Figs and Friends” where each course celebrated the spectacular fig. Especially this year, I have just been enamored by this jewel of a fruit. It is tasty, versatile and can work with either a sweet or savory dish. This particular tart almost has a cheesecake quality with the cream cheese element in the filling. The crust was buttery and crisp which was perfect with the creamy filling and rich fruit topping. You could certainly substitute the fig and apple for other fruit toppings such as pears with dates.

Would love to hear about your favorite tart that you enjoy.

Apple and Fig Tart


Crust:

12 T. Butter
1/2 C. Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
1 1/4 C. Four

Filling:

8 oz. Cream cheese, room temperature
¼ C. Sugar
1 Egg
1 t. Vanilla

Top:

2 Apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3 to 4 Figs, quartered
½ t. Cinnamon
¼ C. Sugar
¼ C. Slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees .

Make the crust: Cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Then, mix in the flour to make a smooth dough. Press into the bottom of an 9 - inch springform pan, giving it about a 1-inch rim. Bake 15 minute, or until lightly golden. Remove the tart shell from the oven.

Make the filling: beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla for the cream filling until smooth. Make the topping by tossing the apple slices with the cinnamon, sugar, and nuts. Cut the figs into quarter or eights.

Remove the tart shell from the oven. Spread over the cream mixture. Arrange the apple slices on top, and place the figs toward the center and swirl around and then scatter over the nuts. Bake until the apples are tender and golden, about 40 minutes.

Adapted from Laura Calder