Great chefs don’t cut corners.
Stocks and broths are made in the kitchen with bones; they don’t come out of a box or can. Pie crusts aren’t made in the food processor. Hollandaise sauce doesn’t come from a jar, and it isn’t made in a blender.
But I am not a great chef. I am a cook. I confess to using boxed broth. Although I get great satisfaction pinching butter into flour to make a crust, I occasionally make pastry in the food processor when time is short. However, I am proud to say that I make hollandaise sauce only the old-fashioned way.
Chef Georges Perrier, from Philadelphia’s famed (and sadly closed) Le Bec Fin, didn’t cut corners. And I have a book of his recipes from my friend, Nan. When I make his recipes, I don’t cut corners.
Well, except for this Fig and Buttermilk Custard Tart. The first time, I did everything Georges did. When I got to the end of the “filling” section of the recipe, I realized I had done a lot of work and all I had in the end was fig jam. Why didn't he say so?
I love this tart, but I don’t always have time to make the fig jam from scratch... and figs aren’t in season in March, anyway. And, all the Fig Jam I made last summer is gone. No, today, I used good quality fig jam from the supermarket and no one was the wiser... until now. I am bad at keeping culinary secrets.
Now you know that, on occasion, I (judiciously) cut corners.
~ David
Fig and Buttermilk Custard Tart
For the Crust
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners or superfine sugar
1 egg yolk
pinch salt
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon milk, if needed
For the Filling
1 1/4 cups best-quality fig jam
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
For the Topping
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the yolk and mix well. Add the salt and flour and mix until no flour is discernible, scraping down the sides at least once. The dough should come together when pinched. If it seems too dry, add the milk and mix it through.
Dump the dough onto a sheet of plastic film or waxed paper, then wrap it tightly to bring it together into a ball; refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
On a lightly floured surface, do you best to roll the dough into a 12 to 13-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (I used a 10-inch springform pan); I assure you that it will break and tear. This dough (also known as pâte sablée) is very forgiving! Press the dough into the sides and bottom, trimming the edges and filling any crackers or tears with leftover dough. You can see how I constructed the sides first. I then added pieces of rolled-out dough to create a patchwork bottom, pressing it together and making it even using the bottom of a glass.
Line the dough with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the lining and weights and bake 10 minutes longer until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F/180°C.
When cool, whisk together the jam and lemon zest and spread it on the bottom of the crust. It should be an even layer about 1/4-inch thick.
Whisk together the topping ingredients until smooth. Pour over the fig filling and bake for 20-25 minutes, until set. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature prior to serving.
Makes 1 10-inch tart, serving 6-8.
Labels: fig and buttermilk tart, fig jam, fig tart, georges perrier, le bec fin
