Fig frangipane tart

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 200C (fan) and place a baking sheet large enough to accommodate the tart tin into the oven to heat up. Grease an approx 25cm/12in tart tin.
2. Roll out the pastry as thinly as you can - this will ensure a crisp crust - and line the tart tin. Refrigerate while you make the frangipane sponge and prepare the figs.
3. For the filling: in a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter/baking spread until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat or whisk briefly until everything is combined and there are no floury lumps.
4. Wash the figs, remove any bits of stalk, then cut the figs into thick wedges - if your figs are very small, just halve them.
5. Remove the pastry case from the fridge and spread the jam over the base with the back of a spoon. You only want the thinnest layer, so you may not need all of the jam. Spoon the frangipane sponge batter onto the jam and spread as evenly as you can. Place the fig pieces onto the surface of the sponge batter, pressing very lightlyinto the batter.
6. Sprinkle a few flaked almonds onto the exposed batter around the figs, then sift the whole tart generously with icing sugar (this helps the figs to caramelise).
7. Place the tart directly onto the pre-heated baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes and turn the tart around if it is browning on one side more than the other. When the tart is ready, the frangipane should be a deep golden brown and just firm to the touch, and the figs should be sticky and caramelised.