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fig crostata italian recipe

Fig Crostata (Rustic Italian Fig Tart)

This rustic Italian fig crostata brings together a tender, buttery crust and a jammy fig filling made with fresh, dried, or jarred figs. The dough stays crisp, the filling slices cleanly, and the warm citrus aroma makes the whole kitchen smell like late summer.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 8 people
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian, Italian-American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Dough
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Zest of 1 orange or lemon
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 2 –4 tbsp ice water
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar optional
For Fresh Fig Filling (Option 1)
  • 1 ½ –2 lbs fresh Black Mission figs stemmed and chopped
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 1 –2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 –3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 –2 tbsp honey
  • 1 –2 tbsp apple cider syrup optional
  • Pinch of cardamom
  • Pinch of thyme optional
For Dried Fig Filling (Option 2)
  • 1 ½ cups dried figs chopped
  • ½ cup water + ¼ cup orange juice
  • Splash of Marsala wine optional
  • ¼ cup chopped nuts almonds, pistachios, or walnuts
  • 2 tbsp chopped dark chocolate
For Jarred Jam Filling (Option 3)
  • 1 to 1 ¼ cups good-quality fig jam
For Finishing
  • Egg wash 1 egg + splash of water OR
  • Apple cider syrup OR
  • Water + turbinado sugar

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. Add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and citrus zest to a food processor.
  2. Add cold butter and pulse until the pieces look like small peas.
  3. Add ice water and a splash of vinegar, pulsing just until the dough starts to come together.
  4. Turn it out and use a quick fraissage (smear the dough once or twice with your palm).
  5. Form into a disk, wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes.
Roll and Blind Bake
  1. Roll the chilled dough and fit it into an 8"x11" rectangular tart pan or a 12" round pan.
  2. Dock the base with a fork.
  3. Line with parchment and fill with pie weights.
  4. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, remove weights, and bake 15 minutes more until lightly golden.
Make the Filling
  1. Fresh figs:
  2. Add chopped figs, orange juice, butter, brown sugar, honey, apple cider syrup, and spices to a pot.
  3. Simmer 25–30 minutes until thick and jammy.
Dried figs:
  1. Heat dried figs with water, orange juice, and Marsala until soft.
  2. Blend or mash, then add nuts and chocolate.
Jarred jam:
  1. Ready to use as-is.
Assemble
  1. Spread your filling inside the warm par-baked shell.
  2. Roll the remaining dough and cut into strips.
  3. Weave a simple lattice on top.
  4. Brush with egg wash, syrup, or water + sugar.
Bake
  1. Bake at 400°F for about 30 minutes, until the lattice is golden and the edges of the filling bubble.
  2. Cool until the filling sets.
  3. Slice with a sharp knife.

Notes

  • Fresh figs give the brightest fruit flavor; dried figs give a deeper, Sicilian-style taste.
  • Blind baking is key — it keeps the crust crisp and stops the bottom from getting soggy.
  • If your filling looks too thick, loosen it with a splash of orange juice.
  • If using jarred jam, don’t overfill the tart or it may bubble over the lattice.
  • The tart slices best once it has cooled and the filling has set.