How to make fig and raspberry tart with a brioche crust, silky smooth and indulgent
- Using brioche dough for the crust gives the tart a smooth, light texture: the temperature of the butter is key when mixing the dough
- It’s best to use fresh unsalted green pistachios for a bright colourful frangipane – the paste keeps for a week in the fridge, or a month in the freezer
Tender, slightly sweet and rich with a large quantity of butter and eggs, brioche is a delicious, indulgent bread. The dough also makes an excellent, somewhat unusual crust for tarts. It is a lovely dough to handle – because it has so much fat, it is silky smooth.
Fig and raspberry tart with pistachio frangipane and a brioche crust
Search out SAF instant yeast with a gold, white and blue label: it is made specifically for doughs that contain a fairly high amount of sugar.
The butter for the brioche needs to be the right consistency or it won’t incorporate correctly into the dough. If it is too cold, it will remain in lumps and if it is too soft, it will melt and make the dough greasy.
Take it from the fridge and cut it into 20 to 24 chunks, then leave them at room temperature until they are pliable, but not melting. A heavy-duty stand mixer makes mixing this dough very easy. It can be made with an electric hand mixer, but be careful that the motor doesn’t overheat. The dough needs to be made a day in advance, so it can rise overnight in the fridge.
For this tart, you will use only half the amount of the pistachio frangipane. The rest of the frangipane keeps in the fridge for about a week, or frozen for at least a month. Buy shelled, unsalted, bright green pistachios – the beige ones make the filling look very dull.
Ingredients
For the brioche:
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260 grams (9 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
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5 grams (1½ tsp) instant yeast
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40 grams (2 tbsp + 2 tsp) granulated sugar
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25ml (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) tepid water
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¾ tsp fine sea salt
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3 large eggs, at room temperature
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125 grams (4½ oz) unsalted butter, slightly softened
