Figs grow practically everywhere in Provence and southern France. At the end of August you can often harvest the purple fruits from wild fig trees yourself. That's how I remember when we picked a sack full of ripe sticky-sweet figs at Les Platanes train station in Carnoules (Var) and then ate them for the next few days. But even at the markets at the end of summer there are always fresh figs for this delicious tart!

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 175 g flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 80 g butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 40 g duster
• 5 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

• 60 g butter
• 60 g duster
• 2 eggs
• 100 g ground almonds
• 80 ml whipped cream
• 6 figs
• 3 tablespoons jam (e.g. plum or fig)

For the brittle:

• 50 g sugar
• 40 g flaked almonds

Preparation

Place the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl and knead into a firm dough. Let this rest in the fridge for around 30 minutes. Grease a 24 cm diameter tart pan and preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat).

For the filling, cream the butter with the icing sugar, then add the two eggs and mix again until foamy. Fold in the ground almonds and whipped cream. Wash the figs, remove the top stems and cut into four parts, but do not cut all the way through so that the four parts are still connected.

Prepare a parchment paper for the brittle. Melt the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until golden brown. Add the flaked almonds and mix with the melted sugar. Spread the sugar mixture on the parchment paper and leave to cool. Then place in a plastic bag and roughly chop with a rolling pin.

Line the prepared tin evenly with the batter, blind bake* for 10 minutes, then remove the beans and bake for another 10 minutes. Let it cool down a bit. Spread the base evenly with the jam. Spread the filling on top and press the figs into the filling. Bake the cake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the filling is completely set. Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle with the almond brittle.

*) Cover the dough flat with weight to suppress the formation of bubbles when baking. You can weigh down the dough with beans, lentils or special balls. Place parchment paper cut into a circle between the dough and the weight.

Figs that are sold in Provence at the end of summer are usually genuinely from the region. There are still many almond trees in classic Provence, but they are no longer cultivated.