Again I struck gold at Whole Foods, this time it was with fresh organic figs and even better than that was the price, only three dollars a pint!Sometimes when I buy fresh figs even though they look and feel ripe, when I get them home they have no flavor at all, does that ever happen to you?
Not the case here, they were all you would ever want in a fig, perfectly ripe, plump and oh so sweet!
I'm dedicating this post to my friend Stacey because she is a true figaholic, if you don't believe me go check out her blog she has a ton of fig recipes, sweet and savory, all good! If we lived closer I would have brought this over to her house to share.
I love making rustic tarts, nothing sophisticated about them, easy to make, very casual and homey. You can make your own pastry dough or use a good refrigerated one as I did, I've had it both ways and it's equally as good.For the Ricotta Filling:
1lb ricotta
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
Orange zest
Heaping tablespoon of orange marmalade
Pinch of cinnamon
Beat together on low speed until all incorporated
On a baking sheet place parchment paper, then place your dough round on top of that and prick the bottom with a fork.
Spread ricotta mixture all over except where you're going to be folding the edges up. Then place figs on top.
Brush the top with a beaten egg or milk, bake at 375F until golden brown, check the bottom with a spatula to make sure it has a nice brown color.
While still warm you can glaze the top with a warmed up preserve if you like.
I had a few figs left over so I decided to make myself a little afternoon treat, this time I decided to caramelize my figs by dipping them cut side down on a plate sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon then placing them down on a grill pan for just a few minutes until caramelized. Place them in a pretty bowl on top of some fat free greek yogurt add a drizzle of honey and crunchy pistachios! It was sinfully good, hope you give it a try!Buon Appetito
