Figs and Feta Forever

By: The TASTE Editors
Photo: Laurie Ellen Pellicano

Article-Savory-Fig-Tart-Recipe

Let’s recount what we know about figs. They’ve been wrapped in bacon and passed around at cocktail parties for ages. In the ’90s, we all ate a few of them showered with balsamic vinaigrette, tossed onto a plate of arugula. We’ve seen them turned into jam to pair with stinky blue cheese. And let’s face it—they can be perfect eaten completely raw, draped with a few slices of prosciutto or drizzled with a little bit of olive oil and some grains of salt. Yet there are even more chapters in the savory side of this story.

Raw, figs are juicy and tender, but with a touch of heat, their sugars caramelize, and they take on a slightly chewy texture. The fruit has a subtle, sultry sweetness that gets along perfectly with salty ingredients like meat and cheese, but it’s also a great match for a bit of acidity.

Recipe developer Laurie Ellen Pellicano likes to pair figs with briny feta for this reason, with a (just sweet enough) tart that packs a real savory tang. She starts with a nutty whole wheat pie crust and makes a rich filling by blending together some crumbled feta (use the good stuff if you can find some) with an egg and a few kalamata olives. It’s that simple. Figs are sliced thinly and fanned across the surface with a sprinkle of sugar (for maximum caramelization) before baking, and when the tart comes out of the oven, you can finish it with a drizzle of fruity olive oil, some honey, a few chile flakes, and a pinch of sumac for a kick of bright lemony spice.

The result is a custardy snacking tart that would happily take center stage on any brunch table or hors d’oeuvres spread. You could turn this into several smaller tarts to deliver around to neighbors, or just make one big tart to keep on the kitchen counter and chisel off a sliver here and there whenever the mood strikes.

[email_signup id=”3″]

<div class=”email-subscribe exp-subscribe subscribe”>
<div class=”alert alert-success exp-success ga-etembed-success” style=”display:none;”>
Great! You’ve signed up successfully! </div>
<div class=”alert alert-danger exp-error” style=”display:none;”>
We are experiencing an error, please try again. </div>

<form name=”subscribe” id=”email-signup” class=”email-signup-form” action=”https://www.tastecooking.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php” method=”POST” target=”_top” data-event-assigned=”false”>
<fieldset class=”form-group form-inline email-submit-group”>
<label for=”email-address” class=”sr-only”>Email Address</label>
<input id=”email-newsletter” type=”email” placeholder=”your@email.com” class=”email-newsletter text email form-control” name=”email” value=””>
<button type=”submit” value=”Subscribe” name=”subscribe” class=”btn btn-primary email-submit-btn ga-etembed-success”>
<i class=”fa fa-envelope”></i> Subscribe </button>
</fieldset>

<small class=”exp-small terms” style=””>
By clicking Subscribe, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Penguin Random House <a href=”http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/privacy/” target=”_blank”>Privacy Policy</a> and <a href=”http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/terms/” target=”_blank”>Terms of Use</a> and agree to receive news and updates from TASTE and Penguin Random House.
</small>

<fieldset class=”field-group checkboxes” style=”display:none”>
<div class=”checkbox”>
<label>
<input type=”checkbox” name=”programs[]” value=”505,50501,1″ class=”exp-checkbox” checked=”checked”>
<span><strong>Tastebook General</strong></span>
</label>
</div>
<div class=”checkbox”>
<label>
<input type=”checkbox” name=”programs[]” value=”505,50502,1″ class=”exp-checkbox” checked=”checked”>
<span><strong>Tastebook Promo</strong></span>
</label>
</div>
</fieldset><!– /.checkboxes –>

</div>

setInterval( function() {

//Check for unassigned forms
var forms = jQuery( ‘.email-signup-form’ );
unassigned_forms = false;

forms.each( function( index ) {
if ( jQuery( this ).attr( ‘data-event-assigned’ ) === ‘false’ ) {
unassigned_forms = true;
}
});

if ( unassigned_forms ) {

forms.off( ‘submit’ ).on( ‘submit’, function ( e ) {

forms.attr( ‘data-event-assigned’, ‘true’ );

e.preventDefault();
// Basic email validation
var email = jQuery(e.target).find(‘.email-newsletter’).val(),
valid_email = false,
groupEl = jQuery(e.target).closest(‘.email-subscribe’);

if ( !!email && typeof(email) === “string” ) {
var email_array = email.split(‘@’);
if ( email_array.length === 2 ) {
if ( email_array[1].split(‘.’).length > 1 ) {
valid_email = true;
}
}
}

if ( valid_email ) {
jQuery(‘.alert-danger’).hide();
// Show loading gif
groupEl.find(‘.email-signup-form’).hide();
groupEl.find(‘.email-submit-loading’).show();

// Populate ref_url
jQuery(this).find(‘input[name=”ref_url”]’).val(window.location.href);

// Generate Payload
var payload = jQuery(this).serializeArray();

jQuery.ajax({
url: jQuery(this).attr(‘action’),
type: ‘POST’,
data: payload,
success: function (data) {
// Hide loading spinner
groupEl.find(‘.email-signup-form’).show();
groupEl.find(‘.email-submit-loading’).hide();
// Display success msg
var target = jQuery(e.target);
jQuery(e.target).hide();
jQuery(e.target).parent().find(‘.alert-success’).show();
jQuery(e.target).parent().find(‘#downloadbtn’).show();
},
fail: function (err) {
// Hide loading spinner
groupEl.find(‘.email-signup-form’).show();
groupEl.find(‘.email-submit-loading’).hide();
// Display failure msg
var target = jQuery(e.target);
jQuery(e.target).hide();
jQuery(e.target).parent().find(‘.alert-danger’).show();
}
});
}
else {
groupEl.find(‘.alert-danger’).html(‘Please enter a valid email address.’).show();
}
});

forms.off( ‘keypress’ ).on( ‘keypress’, function ( e ) {
if ( e.which === 13 ) {
e.preventDefault();
jQuery( this ).submit();
}
});

}
}, 100);
});
</script>