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Fig Tart

Make the most of a combination of black figs, semi-dried figs and fig jam in Raymond Blanc's magnificent tart. Serves 6. From Raymond Blanc Kitchen Secrets (S2)

For the sweet shortcrust pastry
250g/9oz plain flour
75g/3oz icing sugar
pinch salt
120g/4½oz unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
2 free-range egg yolks
For the filling
150g/5oz fresh or frozen blackcurrants, roughly chopped with a knife or in a food processor
100g/4¼oz fig jam, the best you can find and one that is not too sweet
150g/5oz semi-dried figs, stalks removed and puréed in a food processor
For the glaze and topping
50g/2oz fig jam
10-12 black figs, quartered (preferably from Provence)
To serve
crème fraîche

To make the pastry in a food processor, place the flour, icing sugar, salt, butter and two egg yolks into the bowl, with two teaspoons of cold water and pulse for 20-30 seconds. Do not pulse for longer than this or the pastry will be too delicate and powdery.

Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead the dough for 10 seconds to bring the dough together. Do not over-knead or the pastry will shrink during cooking. (To make the pastry by hand, mix together the flour, icing sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and lightly rub it into the flour, lifting the mixture as you do so, until it has a sandy texture. Make a well in the centre and add two egg yolks and two teaspoons of water.

Work the egg yolks and water into the mixture, making small concentric circles with the tips of your fingers, and gently press the dough together.)

Tear off about 30g/1oz of the dough, wrap it tightly in cling film and set aside to use later.

Roll the remaining dough into a cylinder, cut in half, flatten each half into a circle about 2cm/¾in thick and wrap in cling film. Chill one piece of pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes, the remaining pastry can be frozen and used for another recipe.

Lay out two squares of cling film, about 40cm/16in square, side by side on a work surface.

Place the refrigerated dough in the middle of one sheet, lay over the second sheet and roll the dough out to a circle of 0.3cm/⅛in thickness. (This is a great technique for rolling delicate pastry without the need for extra flour, which would make the pastry heavy when cooked.)

Line a flat baking sheet with greaseproof paper and place a 20cm/8in tart case on top, without the base.

Take off the top layer of cling film from the pastry and discard it.

Lift the bottom sheet of cling film from the two closest corners and drape the pastry into the tart ring, pastry-side first. Lift the edges and gently push the dough into the tart ring.

Press down the base of the tart, ensuring the dough is neatly compressed and moulded to the shape of the ring – this will minimise shrinkage and prevent the dough from collapsing. Use the reserved 30g/10z of dough to push the pastry to the edge of the ring.

Roll a rolling pin across the top of the tart ring to trim the edges.

Gently press the dough with your thumb and index finger to raise the height 2mm/⅛in above the top edge of the ring.

Prick the base of the tart with a fork to allow steam to escape during cooking; this will help to keep the base flat.

Allow the pastry case to rest in the fridge for one hour.

While the pastry is resting, place a baking stone, or heavy baking tray, on the middle shelf of the oven and preheat it to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

Slide the pastry case off the baking tray onto the hot baking stone or baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Brush the base with the remaining egg yolk.

For the filling, mix the blackcurrants, fig jam and fig purée together in a bowl and pour into the baked pastry case.

Arrange the quartered figs in a rosette pattern on top of the tart, starting in the centre and working outwards.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. To check it is cooked, gently lift the base of the tart away from the baking stone using a spatula – it should be a golden-brown colour.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool at room temperature.

To glaze the tart, warm the fig jam in a small saucepan and brush the warmed fig jam onto the fig quarters using a pastry brush. Serve the tart with a scoop of crème fraîche.