Fig Crostata

Gourmet / Epicurious

Makes 8 servings
    FOR DOUGH:                                                     
    2 cups flour                                                   
    1/4 cup sugar                                                  
    1/2 teaspoon salt                                              
    1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter cubed                        
    2 egg yolk                                                     
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                     
    1 tablespoon cold water        
                                
    FOR FILLING:                                                   
    12 ounces soft dried figs or ripe fresh                        
    1 1/4 cups water                                               
    1 cup orange juice                                             
    1/2 cup pack dark brown sugar                                  
    3 eggs light beat                                              
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                     
    1 teaspoon orange zest                                         
    6 ounces walnuts coarse chop     
                             
active time: 1 hr / total time: 3 1/2 hr

Make pastry dough:
Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add yolks, vanilla, and water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated and dough begins to form large clumps.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together (using a pastry scraper if you have one), then divide dough in half and form each half into a 5- to 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make fig filling while dough chills:
Simmer figs, water, orange juice, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan, covered, stirring occasionally, until figs are soft and mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped (mixture should not be smooth). Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly. Stir in butter, eggs, vanilla, zest, and walnuts.

Make tart shell:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter springform pan. Roll out 1 portion of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch round (dough will be soft; chill or freeze briefly if it becomes difficult to work with). Peel off top sheet of parchment and carefully invert dough into pan. (Dough will tear easily but can be patched together with your fingers.) Press dough onto bottom and 1 inch up side of pan, then trim excess. Chill tart shell until ready to assemble crostata.
Roll out remaining dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch round. Peel off top sheet of parchment, then cut dough into 10 (1-inch-wide) strips and slide (still on parchment) onto a tray. Chill until firm, about 10 minutes.

Assemble crostata:
Spread fig filling in shell. Arrange 5 strips of dough 1 inch apart on filling. Arrange remaining 5 strips 1 inch apart across first strips to form a lattice. Trim edges of strips flush with edge of shell. Sprinkle crostata with sugar.
Bake until filling is slightly puffed and pastry is pale golden, about 30 minutes. Cool completely, then remove side of pan. Serve crostata with mascarpone.v

MY NOTE: Read the reviews linked below before attempting. Lots of advice as this can be difficult.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/Fig-Crostata-355993