jon latessa

It’s fig season! Truth be told, I’ve never cooked with figs outside of placing them on top of pizza or tossing them over a bed of arugula with bleu cheese. This recipe, while a little complex, is a real treat (and looks incredible). The figs create a gelatinous glaze over the custard that complements the orange flavoring beautifully!

Fun fact: Each fig is not a single fruit, but nearly fifteen hundred tiny fruits.

Ingredients

For Pastry Cream

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup whole milk
• grated zest of 1/2 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/16 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For Pastry Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk

For Fig Topping

• 18 to 20 fresh figs, halved through the stem ends
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Sugar

Method

For the crust…In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Add the whole egg and the yolk, and mix to combine. Add the flour and beat until it has been absorbed. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

For the custard…In a medium, heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/8 cup of the sugar, all of the cornstarch, and 1/4 cup of the milk; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 3/4 cup milk, the remaining sugar, the vanilla extract, the orange zest, and the salt. Bring to a simmer. Whisking constantly, gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture to temper it. Return the mixture to the saucepan and boil for 10 seconds, whisking. The mixture should thicken to a pudding-like consistency. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and whisk in the butter. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Putting it all together…On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to a 12-inch round, about 1⁄8 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the dough so that it comes slightly above the rim of the tart pan. Press the excess dough against the sharp edge of the rim of the pan with the heel of your hand to cut it level with the pan. For me, the dough was very sticky, so add extra flour to make it easier to handle. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Spread the pastry cream over the bottom of the pie shell. Arrange the fig halves on top, rounded edges down. Brush the figs with the butter and sugar evenly over the top.

Bake at 425°F for 40 minutes or until figs are soft and caramelized.

Every September I fall back in love with sweet potatoes. I have grown up eating and loving pumpkin pie, but wanted to try and make something a little different. This Sweet Potato Pie is much lighter, has a delicate taste, and (despite its name) is not too sweet. I used organic canned puree, but you could certainly use fresh potatoes if your prefer.

This recipe yields two 9″ pies. Keep one for yourself and share the other with a friend.

Ingredients

• 2 cans of Farmer’s Market Organic Sweet Potato Puree
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups light cream
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 pre-made 9″ pie crusts
• Fresh Whipped Cream, for serving (optional, but highly recommended)

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Add the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Make sure they are well combined. Whisk the cream into the mixture.

Add the two cans of sweet potato puree to the mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the melted butter and continue to mix until well combined.

Grab your two pie crusts (make sure they are defrosted). The mixture will be a little watery- but don’t worry! Add the mixture to the two crusts and place in oven for about 45 minutes.

Let the pies cool before cutting (this is harder said than done). Once the pie is at room temperature, top with fresh homemade whipped cream. Enjoy!