I had an extra tart shell when I made the macapuno tarts in the previous post, so instead of throwing it out, I decided to root around the fridge to see if I could drum up 
another fruit tart. I found lots of semi-dried figs in the refrigerator and I simply cut some in half, threw them into an enameled pot set on low heat and added about half a cup of granulated sugar and a few tablespoons of water. When the sugar has dissolved and a simple syrup forms, add a tablespoon or two of brandy and stir gently. When the sauce thickens a bit, and the alcohol burns off leaving the flavor, take the mixture off the fire and let it cool slightly. Fill the tart shell and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is done and the figs set in the shell.
I had some thinly sliced almonds that I toasted in the hot oven and sprinkled them on the pie. Serve this warm or ar room temperature with whipped cream and/or drizzled 
with brilliant fresh honey and it was surprisingly sublime! I didn’t have a recipe, I just threw things together. It was really, really good. Even better than the macapuno! The almonds in the photo are undertoasted (because I BURNED the first batch) and they could have used a minute or more so that they would have some color. The whipped cream serves to balance the sweetness and the fresh honey is an excuse to use some nice honey a friend sent over a few weeks ago. This would also be special with some nice vanilla ice cream. I suppose clasically the figs would be resting on a rich pastry cream base. I was so thrilled with the outcome I photographed the tart several times in a nice cake thingee…
14 Responses
Hi MM! I’m dying to make some dumplings. Can you give me a recipe? Pretty Please… :p
Hmmm, this looks pretty interesting.
what are figs in tagalog? is there a local counterpart?
Oohhh…I love figs! This one’s my favorite yet! In fact, I think this is one pie where the filling might be as valuable to me as the crust. ;-)
Hi MarketMan! The tart looks gorgeous! Question: I have some dates at home and I don’t know what else to do with them. I usually just stuff them with walnuts and dust with powdered sugar? Anything else you can recommend?
very well done MarketMan!!!! hmmmm I really would try this adding mangoes, love figs with mangoes hehe. . . yummy. . .
What did the olympian honey taste like? Must be close to that of the ones gathered from hives alongside the lavender groves of Grasse or the citrus orchards of Sicily. As late as the sixties wild honey was what you meant when you talked of honey at all and you bought them at the drugstore in town in vials which was so apt since it gave forth a heady tropical perfume.
You mentioned elsewhere trying it in baclava (sp?) but is fillo obtainable there? I wonder if fresh traditional lumpia wrapper can serve. Mother fried the unusued ones as a crisp-crunch treat for us kids.
woooh, a marketman original! i love figs and dates and apricots and all sorts of dried fruit, and the fruit and nut combination is super! can’t wait to try this. i imagine the crunch from the fig seeds make for an interesting layer of texture…
Hi, MarketMan, I’m a regular visitor to your site, which I love, by the way. This post prompted me to leave a comment because figs in any form is my favorite: preserves, dried and specially fresh, even fig newtons once in a while. I’m making this wonderful creation of yours very soon.
Your ideas are endless and when you execute them, they come out pristine. Thumbs up again! Your fig tart looks so divine considering you used only few ingredients in it, in addition to brandy and almonds. Again, thank you for sharing this with us.
That looks amazing! Oooh…and I can imagine how good it would be with ice cream!
Strange coincidence…I also used figs to fill an extra crust I had for a mushroom tart I was making once. This only proves that it’s good to always have figs in the house! :)
Hi all, sorry, I have been really bogged down with “work” these past three days so I have been quite still/quiet… Rose Lyn, I haven’t made too many dumplings myself but I will keep an eye out for a recipe… izang, not sure if there is a tagalog word for the figs used in this dessert, however, oddly, we have a close relative to figs apparently growing in Palawan and elsewhere, though I am not sure if they are edible. Mackenzie, a date walnut bread or food for the Gods is a good alternative use… I had a recipe for food for the gods a week or two ago. Wilson, I have never tried a fig with a mango…have to try that soon. Apicio, I have to say, it tasted good and natural but I couldn’t pick the flavor notes too well…I can best describe it as tasting less sweet and yet obviously more pure. I haven’t attempted the baklava yet, though I have the nuts… and yes, they do sell frozen phyllo dough here erratically… millet, you are right, the crunch is the key besides the intense flavor of the figs themselves… Oggi, welcome to the realm of commenters. Maria Clara, thanks for the thumbs up!
your tart really looks cool. i’ll try making some within the week. the simplest but the best ingredients really make the difference between what’s ordinary and extraordinary. great work market man! idol!
dear izang- fig in tagalog is igos