Chez Panisse Pastry Chef Lindsey Shere’s Easy Recipe: “Another Fig Tart”

Yesterday morning when I took the dogs for their walk, my garden was scented with the wonderful smells of my neighbor’s fig trees. And speaking of figs, Chez Panisse pastry chef Lindsey Shere’s easy recipe for “Another Fig Tart,” from her book Chez Panisse Desserts, looks amazing.

Lindsey was the original pastry chef at Chez Panisse, Alice Water’s restaurant in Berkeley, California. She named this recipe “Another Fig Tart” to differentiate it from her “Fig Tart” with the puff pastry crust.

Pâte Brisée Crust with Butter and Crisco

This tart has a pâte brisée crust which is a classic French ‘short crust’ pastry made from flour, butter, salt and usually a small amount of cold water. I prefer a part butter, part Crisco pie crust because you get the flavor of the butter and the flakiness of the Crisco.

A Few Other Ways to Enjoy Figs

Figs are a favorite this time of year.

I especially love them with Gorgonzola and a drizzle of honey over bitter salad greens, adding a few toasted walnuts for crunch. I’ve also had figs and Gorgonzola on pizzetta.

Wrapped in bacon is an exotic version I’ve loved in the past, though since I’ve turned vegetarian, it’s no longer an option.

Pies and tarts are one of my favorite Saturday morning projects. I’ve been baking them since I was a young wife and mom.

I’ve eaten fig tarts with creme patisserie and didn’t care for it. This one looks much better to me. To me, figs feel ‘gloppy’ with custard.

Lindsey Shere’s Another Fig Tart

Buy Lindsey’s Chez Panisse Desserts for her crust or use your own.

8 servings

One 9-inch tart shell 
1 and a half pounds rip figs
1 t. sugar
2 T. apricot jam
few drops each of kirsch and Grand Marnier

Bake the tart shell in a preheated 350F oven until evenly golden brown and cooked through.  

Meanwhile, cut off the tough ends from the stems of the figs. Peel the figs–the peel should pull off easily if the figs are ripe; if they are thick-skinned green figs, you will have to cut the peel off.

Slice the figs in half and overlap them in the cooled shell. Sprinkle them lightly with the sugar and bake the tart in the 350F oven until the figs are cooked through and juicing a little–about 30 minutes.

Cool the tart on a rack. In 5 or 10 minutes, warm the jam and add the liqueurs to it. Brush the figs with the glaze and serve the tart warm with a little Chantilly cream.

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Photo Credits | Figs: Evan Sung New York Times and Andrew Scrivani New York Times.