The crumble with ricotta, figs, and almonds is a delicious dessert full of contrasts. The crunchy shell of shortcrust pastry encases a delicate ricotta cream, enriched with citrus zest and vanilla, and a layer of caramelized figs. The recipe is easy to make, requires no special techniques, and you can easily prepare it with your children.
I love simple desserts; I’m not crazy about tarts and pastries because I don’t like butter, but when the fillings are so rich with ingredients, I must hide them to avoid finishing them all. Two of my favorite variations are the crumble with ricotta and sour cherries and the crumble with ricotta, pears, and chocolate.
Crumbles are tarts that are easy and quick, perfect when we have little time available. The shortcrust pastry doesn’t need long resting time because it doesn’t have to be rolled out with a rolling pin; just crumble it, compact it with your hands, and the base is ready. It’s so versatile that it can be filled as you like, with ricotta, creams, fruit, chocolate, or whatever your imagination suggests.
If you like, try the crumble with ricotta, figs, and almonds and let me know what you think. I leave you other recipes with figs perfect for the end of summer when these magnificent fruits are in full season.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn
- Energy 342.88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 47.68 (g) of which sugars 28.40 (g)
- Proteins 7.02 (g)
- Fat 15.36 (g) of which saturated 8.00 (g)of which unsaturated 7.20 (g)
- Fibers 4.56 (g)
- Sodium 63.60 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 9 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg (large)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup almonds (roughly chopped)
- 10 figs (medium fresh)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups cow's milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated)
- 1/2 tsp orange zest (grated)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp apricot jam (or fig jam)
- 1 tbsp butter (for greasing the pan)
Tools
- 1 Cake Pan disposable aluminum 9-inch diameter
- 1 Pan
- 1 Scale
- 1 Work Surface
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Sieve
Procedure
In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, add the sugar, mix well, then add the cold butter cut into cubes, the egg, the vanilla extract, the lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.
Work the mixture with your hands (if you use a mixer, you can do everything in there), quickly blend until you get many crumbs.Chop the almonds roughly; they shouldn’t be too fine but similar to classic granules and mix them with the shortcrust crumbs.
Butter the pan and spread two-thirds of the shortcrust crumbs on the bottom and edges (I used a disposable aluminum pan with a 9-inch diameter, if you want to make a lower crumble, use a 10-inch springform pan, logically the baking will be faster).
Press the crumbs on the bottom to compact them, and prick the base with the tines of a fork.
Wash the figs under running water, cut them in half, and cook them over high heat for 6/7 minutes in a pan with the sugar and lemon juice. Let them cool while you prepare the shortcrust and ricotta cream.
In a large bowl, place the well-drained ricotta (I recommend using a solid and compact ricotta from the counter) with the sugar and mix everything with a hand whisk to make the mixture creamy and smooth.
Add the grated orange zest, the grated lemon zest, the vanilla extract, and the slightly beaten egg, mix everything, and set aside.
Spread the apricot or fig jam on the base of the shortcrust, it will prevent the crumble from being raw at the bottom.
Pour the ricotta cream on the shortcrust pastry base and level it with the back of a spoon.
Drain the figs from the syrup and place them on the ricotta cream, spread the crumbled shortcrust pastry on the surface.Bake the crumble in a preheated static oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 1 hour, placing it on the lowest rack of the oven.
If the surface darkens too much, cover it with aluminum foil.
The crumble with ricotta, figs, and almonds is ready, let it cool completely before serving.
Tips
Storage
Store the crumble with ricotta, figs, and almonds in the refrigerator, it keeps well for 4 or 5 days. Before serving, leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes.
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