SC - A belated Fig recipe

[The Cheshire Cat]

Sorry that I'm taking the fig line up again, but it took me an age to find
the recipe for this.  It's not period, but *VERY* nice.  It's a nice
combination of Hazelnut Frangipane and the figs set it off beautifully.  I
wanted to test it out first before I mailed it off to everyone.

Fig and Frangipane Tarts

Pastry

11/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pastry flour
pinch salt
6 ounces unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, frozen
1/2 cup iced water

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the
flours and the salt.  Process for a few seconds to mix the ingredients
together.
Cut the butter into .5 inch chunks and distribute on top of flour.  Cut in
the shortening.  Using a pulsing action, process.  (I used the on/off
switch, processing for about half a second around 10-15 times.  Check that
the butter is breaking up into coarse pieces, about the size of lentils.
Be careful not to over-process.
Add one third of the water and pulse 2-3 times.  Add another third and
pulse agin.  The mixture should be beginning to mass together with some
coarse, unformed bits.  Touch the dough to see if it is moister than it
looks; if it seems too dry, add the remaining water and pulse a couple more
times.  Turn the dought out onto a work surface and using the heel of your
hand, work it quickly and briefly to mass it together to form a ball.  Wrap
in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Hazelnut Frangipane:

2/3 cup skinless toasted hazelnuts
.5 cup maple sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest, finely chopped

In the bowl of the good old food processor, fitted with the same good old
steel blade, combine the hazelnuts and the maple sugar and pulse until the
nuts are finely ground. Transfer the nut mix into a bowl and whisk in the
butter.  Mix in the remaining ingredients until smooth.  If the batter is
runny, chill to firm it.  Because of the raw egg, the mixture should be
used within 3-4 days.  Keep it refrigerated.

Okay, now I've got through the details, heres the putting together bit.

You need:

1 batch of the pastry
1 batch of the hazelnut Frangipane
12 fresh figs.

Preheat the oven to 400° F

  Use the pastry to line six 4x1/2 inch round tart pand with removable
bottoms.  Freeze any leftover dough.  Blind bake the tart shells until the
insides are lightly browned.  Let cool

   Fill the shells with the Hazelnut Fangipane.  Cut the figs into quaters
lengthways.  Using 2 figs for each tart, in a circle pattern, place eight
pieces of fig on top of the fangipane.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until
the Frangipane has risen and is lightly browned.  Let it cool before
serving.


.......or as I said in my initail posting, you could put them all in a sack
and send them to me => => =>

- -Sianan (as she is drawn out of the doghose by the swinging pink, pastry
box and takes her place once more under one of the tables.)




******************************************************************************
Marina Denton
sianan at geocities.com

		Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat,
		and taking the tartare sauce with you.

		- Zig Zigler
******************************************************************************
 


============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================