Almond And Fig Filling Recipes

ALMOND CAKE WITH FIG FILLING AND MAPLE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 24 count regular-size cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
• In a heavy-duty mixing bowl, cream together the butter and shortening on medium speed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time until, completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the superfine sugar with the mixer set to low speed. Once combined, set the mixer to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes.
• Sift together the cake flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Begin to add the sifted dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the warm milk. Fold in the sliced almonds.
• Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 16 to 20 minutes. Use a toothpick to poke in the center of the cupcake and if it comes out clean then the cupcakes are done. Remove from the pan and place onto a tray to cool.
• Once the cupcakes are cooled, fill the center of the cupcakes with 1 tablespoon Fig Filling. Using a pastry bag and piping tip, frost the cupcakes with the Maple Buttercream. Pat the sides of the buttercream with the toasted almonds.
• Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 1 minute. Once blended, move the mixture into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until thick, about 2 minutes. Mix well after microwaving.
• In a heavy-duty mixing bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and pour in the non-dairy whipping cream. Mix on low speed until completely mixed. Add the remaining 4 cups powdered sugar. Fold in the maple syrup.

CHEWY FIG AND ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Line the bottom with an 8-by-20-inch piece of parchment paper, allowing the excess paper to hang over the sides.
• For the crust: Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
• Beat the sugar and butter using an electric hand mixer until combined in a large bowl. Beat in the egg, cream and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat until the mixture forms into clumps. Press the clumps together to form a dough. Knead the dough for 30 seconds and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• For the filling: Place 1/4 cup water, the figs, orange juice, vanilla extract and orange zest in a food processor. Blend until the figs are finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the almond butter and blend until incorporated. Add the almonds and pulse until combined.
• Remove the plastic from the dough and cut in half. Roll out 1 piece of dough into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle on a well-floured work surface. Cut the dough in half lengthwise and then in half crosswise to make 4 equal-size pieces of dough. Transfer the dough pieces to the prepared baking dish using a spatula, and arrange in a single layer. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. Spoon the filling onto the dough. Spread the filling evenly over the dough using damp hands. Smooth the top of the filling using a rubber spatula. Roll out the remaining dough into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut into 4 equal pieces and place on top of the filling, pinching the edges of the dough together to seal. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Place the baking dish on a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Using the excess parchment paper as handles, remove and place on a cutting board. Cut the cookie into twenty-four 1 1/2-inch-square pieces and serve.

HONEY ROASTED FIG & ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a shallow loose-bottomed 25cm flan tin. Make sure the pastry comes above the rim - it may shrink in baking and the filling could spill. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the figs in half lengthways and sit them cut side up on a roasting tray. Mix the orange juice and honey in a bowl, pour over the figs and roast for 10-12 minutes until just soft. Drain off any juice into a saucepan and reserve.
• Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to fan 130C/conventional 150C/ gas 2. Leave the pastry case to cool slightly before filling.
• Cream butter and sugar in a food processor or with an electric beater until smooth and pale. Tip in the ground almonds and zest and whizz briefly to combine. Add egg yolks and 1 tbsp of the reserved fig juice and whizz again until smooth. Spread evenly over the pastry case.
• Gently press the figs cut side up into the almond mixture. Bake for 11⁄4 hours or until it's golden all over (don't worry if the centre still seems soft - a little gooeyness is good). Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove sides and transfer on its base to a wire rack to cool.
• Before serving, take the tart off its base and transfer to a flat platter or board. If you have juice left from roasting the figs, bring it to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until sticky and syrupy. Brush this over the figs and serve as soon as possible, while the syrup is still glossy on the figs (it will start to seep through into the filling if you leave it too long).

FIG & ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk eggs, cold water and vanilla until blended. Place flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor; pulse until blended. Add butter; pulse until crumbly. While pulsing, add egg mixture just until combined., Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Wipe food processor clean. Add figs and almonds; pulse until chopped. Add preserves and juice; pulse until combined., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 10x8-in. rectangle; cut each lengthwise into four 2-in.-wide strips., Spread about 2 tablespoons filling down center of each strip. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal. Roll each gently to shape into a log; cut crosswise into 1-in. pieces., Place 1 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until light brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set.

FRESH FIG AND ALMOND CROSTATA

Steps:

• Make dough: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, gradually add up to 2 tablespoons more water). Do not overmix. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days).
• Make filling: In food processor, combine almonds and sugar; process until finely ground. Add 1 egg, butter, flour, vanilla, and salt; pulse until smooth, and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine figs and lemon juice; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll dough to a 14-inch round. Spread almond filling in center, leaving a 2-inch border; top with fig mixture. Fold border over edge of filling, pleating all around; press down gently to seal. In a small bowl, mix remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water; brush dough with egg wash.
• Lifting edges of parchment, transfer crostata to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool on baking sheet at least 30 minutes. To serve, cut crostata into wedges.

FIG AND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and lightly grease a 9-inch fluted pan.
• In one bowl, toss together the almond meal, sugar, all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, and almond extract.
• Dump the dry ingredients into the wet, and whisk just until mixed.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Remove the stem from each fig, then cut in half.
• Arrange the figs cut side up over the batter, pushing the figs gently into the batter.
• Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the figs, then bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake is set in the center.
• Cool to room temperature before serving.

FLOURLESS FIG BREAKFAST CRUMBLE (WITH OATS AND ALMOND FLOUR)

Steps:

• Start by making your fig filling, since it will need to cool down so its only warm to the touch before you use it. Chop figs and add them to sauce pan with sugar and lemon juice. Cook them on medium low heat (3.5 on our stove) for about 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. We used Brown Turkey figs, which have a lot of moisture in them. If using a dryer fig, you may have to add a bit of water to prevent sticking/burning. Right before removing from stovetop, add vanilla and lemon zest, then remove from heat to allow to cool.
• Once the fig filling has cooled to the point you can touch it, preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter an 8x8 baking dish (if you'd like a thicker crumble) OR an 8x10 pan for a thinner crumble.
• Put all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until blended. Then pour melted grass butter over top of dry ingredients and stir together + mash together with the bottom of your spoon. The mix will still be crumbly, not congealed like a dough. Altogether, you'll have about 2 cups of packed down "crumble."
• Layering time! Place half of your crumble (about 1 cup) in the bottom of your buttered baking dish and spread evenly over surface. Next pour in your fig mix and spread over the surface using a spatula or the bottom of a large spoon. Then evenly sprinkle the remaining crumble over the top of the fig mixture.
• Bake for 25 minutes until slightly browned on the edges. Let cool completely then refrigerate. The taste and texture of this recipe are improved by refrigerating BEFORE serving rather than warm or at room temperature.
• Perfect with breakfast or as a healthy dessert. If you're feeling extra nutty, consider adding chopped walnuts or pecans on top.

ALMOND MUFFINS WITH GOOEY FIG CENTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl. Puree figs in a food processor until smooth and scrape into a small saucepan. Place over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until puree gently boils, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate. Whisk egg, honey, milk and oil in a bowl. Incorporate into flour mixture and blend on low with a hand mixer. Line a muffin tin with paper cups; fill each halfway with batter. Add 1 tbsp fig puree to center of each cup, then cover with a small spoonful of batter. Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.