I think I was a fig in a past lifetime or something, because this fruit, like no other, sends me into a transcendent shamanic baking reverie. It speaks to me, informs me of exact flavor and herb pairings, and tells me precisely how it wants to be eaten.
Or maybe I’m actually in a committed relationship with figs. Whatever it is, it’s deep.
So last week, my lover (ahem, my figs) came to me and said I want to be made into a galette. With ricotta and thyme and honey and lemon zest. And what could I say to that but yes? I could only say yes. I CAN ONLY EVER SAY YES TO FIGS. (Is this an abusive relationship? Please say no.)
On Monday, I spent a hot summer evening with friends, making this galette while their 3 year-old concocted his own dessert (a layered cake of “circle toasts”, jam, peanut butter, sprinkles, and whipped cream—what a f**king visionary! He was highly unimpressed with my efforts, btw. I humbly conceded his kitchen dominion.) We devoured it outside at sunset, by their pool, surrounded by lavender, jasmine, and backyard mint.
It was everything the figs had whispered to me. The lemon zest and honey are ideal counterparts to the figs’ earthiness and the thyme’s complexity. The ricotta is subtly tart and smooth.
And now, I bestow upon you the keys to making figs your lover.
Ingredients
Pastry Crust
- 1 1/4 cup pastry flour plus extra to flour the surface for rolling
- 3 Tbsp . sugar
- ¼ tsp . sea salt
- 8 Tbsp . (1 sticchilled salted butter
- 4-5 Tbsp . ice water
Ricotta Custard
- 1/3 cup whole milk ricotta
- 2 1/2 tsp . honey
- 2 1/2 tsp . sugar
- 1 tsp . lemon juice
- ½ tsp . vanilla extract
- ½ tsp . fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tsp . lemon zest
- 1 egg yolk save egg white for the pastry crust wash
Filling
- 4-5 large ripe figs sliced to create 1/2” wedges
- ½ tsp . lemon zest
- ½ tsp . fresh thyme leaves
- honey to drizzle
Instructions
- Make the pastry crust at least an hour in advance: Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut chilled butter into small pieces and use a pastry cutter or fork to work into the flour mixture until it’s almost fully incorporated. Add 4 Tbsp. ice water (you can add more later if need band work dough together for just a few moments more until it is smooth and cohesive. Add another ½ or full Tbsp. of ice water if it’s too dry or crumbly. Form into a disk about 1” thick and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge.
- Make the ricotta custard: Separate an egg yolk from the white, reserving the egg white in a bowl in the fridge to use on the crust later. Mix all custard ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk or spoon until fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 400º. When the dough has chilled at least an hour, remove from the fridge and lightly dust a piece of parchment paper with flour (the dough will stay on this parchment paper for baking, so it can be as big as the cookie sheet you’ll bake on). Begin to flatten the disk of dough by tapping its surface (really you’ll be smacking it, but that sounds a bit violent, doesn’t it?) in a circle with the rolling pin—flattening it out as you go. When it’s about 1/2” thick, start to roll it out into a larger circle. Ultimately it should be about 1/4” thick.
- Ideally it’s a circle, but hey—life doesn’t always go according to plan and sometimes my circle ends up an oval, like it did this time. It’ll work no matter what shape it is, really.
- Spread the ricotta custard in a circle (or oblonin the center of your dough, using the back of a spoon to distribute it evenly, leaving a 1.5-2” perimeter of dough that will fold over the filling.
- Arrange your fig slices in concentric circles (isstarting in the center and filling in the space as you work your way out to the edge of the custard. Sprinkle with thyme and lemon zest and drizzle lightly with honey. Then fold the edges of the dough in, layering sections as you please (see picture). Make sure there are no tears or gaps (to prevent leaking).
- Brush the exposed dough with egg white. Bake for 35-40 minutes (checking at 30 to estimate remaining time), until the top is golden brown and the bottom is starting to caramelize. Bask in the heavenly scent filling your house.
- When it’s done, let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy liberally, ideally outdoors, at dusk, in candlelight. Or, y’know, in your pajamas in bed watching So You Think You Can Dance.
- Long live the fig!
