This easier-to-make-than-it-looks Fig Frangipane Tart is a spectacular addition to holiday tables, but it’s also a delightful brunch-time or teatime treat.
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Every fall, I eagerly await the arrival of fresh figs at the market. It’s such a naturally gorgeous fruit—one of nature’s masterpieces, really.
Fresh figs can be expensive, but if you keep your eyes peeled for them, you can score boxes of 12 to 16 figs at a fairly reasonable price. This is when I stock up and make my yearly batch of Balsamic Fig Jam, one of my favorite condiments to serve with cheeses and charcuteries.
Although you can use fresh figs in lots of savory dishes, my favorite way to highlight their sweet, plump flesh is—unsurprisingly—in desserts. Often, I’ll simply drizzle quartered figs with maple syrup and roast them in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Roasted figs become super jammy and sweet and can then be used in so many ways: to garnish your morning granola or yogurt, over ice cream or gelato, as a topping for easy panna cotta, over crêpes, waffles, or cake—with a generous amount of additional maple syrup! I also like to use maple-roasted figs as a luxurious topping for financiers: it’s a delightful way to upgrade an otherwise super easy French dessert.
This year, I bought fresh figs on a whim (as I usually do in the fall), but I was super busy, so I just shoved them to the back of the fridge and forgot about them. When I found them again a week later, they were right on the verge of turning to waste. I needed to use them as soon as possible, but I was still in the weeds with work. I tried to think of an easy way to highlight them, and then at lunchtime, I whipped up a fig frangipane tart between two bites of sandwich.
This Honeyed Fig Frangipane Tart turned out even better than I expected. Frangipane tart is one of my go-to desserts for showcasing seasonal fruits because it’s so easy to pull together: you make a quick press-in crust, whisk together the frangipane filling, top it with fresh fruits, bake—and you’re done! Frangipane tart is one of those desserts that looks incredibly elegant but is foolproof to make.
On my first try, to make this Fig Frangipane Tart even faster, I skipped over the extra fig roasting step, opting to dip the quartered fresh figs into warm honey. This gave them extra sweetness and helped them become properly tender upon baking. I loved the floral flavor honey added to the tart.
The next time I made the tart—by then I knew this dessert was a winner, and so I wanted to make sure my recipe was perfect—I tried roasting the figs before adding them to the tart. The result was delicious, but the difference in flavor didn’t justify the extra step. Plus, because the figs were so soft, they disappeared into the frangipane as it puffed up. A big part of the pleasure of baking with figs comes from enjoying their beauty, I think. I decided simple was best.
This Honeyed Fig Frangipane Tart would look spectacular on any holiday table, but don’t confine it only to dessert. This tart is a delightful brunch-time treat and an exceptional addition to a teatime spread.
Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.
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Author: Marie Asselin
Figs and frangipani all wrapped in a tart. You can go wrong with that for sure. We are Italian and when someone says figs, we are at the peak of attention. Amazing that you whipped this up on your lunch break in-between bites of your sandwich! Well done!
Haha well I sure don’t make tart every day during my lunch break, but that day let’s say a bit of “procrastibaking” was at play 😉 I love figs, they’re just so delicious in baked treats!
If you want a special dessert for a special occasion, you are in the right place. this fig tart is delicious and one of a kind.
It’s a spectacular tart, yet it’s easy to make! The effort/reward ratio is hard to beat 😍
This tart is so gorgeous! I’ve been experimenting with figs recently and absolutely loved this recipe. To my surprise both my husband and kids loved it too – I’m going to have to make another one!
This tart is indeed a creative, delicious way to showcase figs! It always makes a big impression when I serve it!
This is such a beautiful dish! I have to make this for the holiday season. This is my kind of dessert..thank you and I cannot wait to make it!
This is a spectacular tart for the holidays! Your family’s going to love it.
Enjoyed reading your post. This Tart looks so delicious and perfect for a Tea Party. Will surely try this amazing recipe.
Fantastic tart that is worth making for someone you care about. Easy and delicious!
Thanks for writing Elaine!
I love it! Necessity is the mother of all inventions and it looks like you hit the jackpot with this one. I currently have a bag of plums in the back of my fridge. Would they work in this recipe too?
Yes plums would absolutely work in this tart, too!
I just love fresh figs but never bake with them often. Can’t wait to try in this tart!
You’re gonna love it Heather!
This Honey Fig Frangipane Tart is delicate, and the figs pair well with the almond flavor. It’s my new favorite dessert when figs are in season.
So happy to read this Helene!
This not only turned out beautiful but it was delicious too! I think I’ll make this again for the holidays!
It’s a perfect tart for the holidays. So festive and elegant!