(from September's recipe sheet)

This is a terrific, very delicious dessert!

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 ½ ounces almond paste, at room temp, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• ½ cup mascarpone cheese, at room temp
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½ inch pieces
• 6 large or 12 small fresh figs, sliced, stems removed
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• ¼ cup apricot jam

Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until blended.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  With the machine running, gradually add the water until mist clumps form.  Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball.  Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill the dough for 1 hour.

In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and honey.  Blend until smooth.  Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough into a n 11-inch circle.  Transfer the dough to a large, heavy baking sheet.  Spread the almond filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border.  Arrange the figs on top of the almond filling.  Spoon the jam over the figs.  Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.

Bake the tart until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes.  Place the baking sheet on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the tart from the parchment.  Transfer the tart to a platter and serve.

Recipes provided and tested by the children of Garden of Childhood and the 
June Louks Family of Rawumptious Recipes.