This fresh fig and walnut pie is a dessert made for my mom.
For the scant year and a half that I’ve had this blog, it’s my third time celebrating mother’s day and it will be four before the year is over. Since it’s always celebrated in the spring, no matter what part of the equator you live on, we take our moms out to party in september, or october, I’m not quite sure now.
I made her a dark chocolate mousse last year and a fresh fig and walnut pie today. Why? She’s crazy mad about figs which makes this pie the perfect gift for her.
She’s more mad about figs than me. Dried, fresh, in syrup, whatever way, she likes them.
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We’re having a celebration with the Sunday Supper group, hosted by my friend Heather of Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks, and we made many fantastic recipes for you to share with whomever raised you and helped you be the person you are today.
My mom worked with me for two years at the Café I once had. There were times where it’s very fair to say she worked more than me. We were both equally exhausted.
But like only a mother can, she never lost her temper with me the way I did with her. Actually, I lost my temper with most persons at some point, a very unpleasant streak of the gastronomy business.
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| 1964 (her wedding) – mid 70´s, arriving from NYC, she thought no one had come to pick her up |
I taught Carola how to bake a few things.
That’s her name, and she hates that I call her that instead of mom, which I do on purpose of course, and now it’s become a personal joke between us, especially since there was a customer who went to the cafe almost every day and had a chocolate colored labrador named like her, and they would sit outside and you would hear ‘Carola, sit!’ ‘Carola, come here!’ ‘Let´s go Carola’, making the other customers look at her puzzled and then laugh.
Everyone loved her, she was the heart of the shop during it’s last year.
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| 1982/84 With my older brother (he was very sick then). We were living in Palo Alto, California. |
The water took away some old pictures, but happily not many, so I’m sharing some of my mom through the decades, so that you know who I’m celebrating today and I get them to a safe place, in case I loose them one day. Life is full of surprises people.
She got married at 19, gasp!, and by the time she was 24 had her three kids, the last two (me and my younger brother) with 11 months difference, so, if you’re not into math, it means there is a month when we’re the same age, or it also means she got pregnant again when I was less than two months old… gasp again!
I got my nose from her. And that frown in the second picture.
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| The most recent ones I could find: 1999 (my wedding) and 2005 helping me at a textile exhibition |
So much has gone by in her life between the other pictures and these two. But these were happy times.
She’s 62 in the one on the right, and can still get away with almost no makeup. My sweet mother.
About the fig and walnut pie that is our concern here, I have two favorite ways to use fresh figs in a pie or tart, and though the classic tart with vanilla bean pastry cream and sweet tart dough will always have a big place in my heart, this version with walnut cream, an adaptation from the almond frangipane, and a graham cracker dough is currently gathering votes and positioning itself right up there.
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After making graham crackers for the first time, I now keep the dough frozen at all times. Or as cookies in a tin. The flavor is one to beat. It’s the perfect one for cheesecakes and also for this fresh fig and walnut pie.
So the dough is pre-baked, then a thick layer of walnut cream is added, and finally the majestic green and red figs are artfully (you can laugh if you want) placed atop before going into the oven and emerging with a not so vibrant color, but with that unmistakable smoky flavor of baked figs, the cookie crunchiness of the graham cracker dough and the creamy walnuts. Oh, and a good pouring of honey on top to make it shiny.
This is good pie people.
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- ½ recipe graham crackers dough
For the walnut cream:
- 1 ½ cups walnut paste (at room tº, see recipe)
- 4 oz 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 teaspoons flour
For the assembly:
- 9 or 10 fresh figs
- 2 Tbs sugar
- 2 or 3 Tbs honey
Instructions
For the crust:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll graham cracker dough about ¼ inch or less, to fit a 9-inch round pie plate. The dough might not roll in one neat piece like regular dough does; don’t worry, just do it in pieces and patch it in the mold. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350º about 15 minutes before baking.
- Cover cold pie dough with a piece of aluminum foil, fill it with some kind of weight, I used lentils but you can use beans or ceramic marbles.
- Bake for 15 or 20 minutes, carefully lift the aluminum foil with the weight, and bake for another 10 minutes or so, until the dough is dry and lightly colored. Let cool on wire rack. Keep the oven on.
For the walnut cream:
- In a bowl with a sturdy hand mixer or an electric one, mix walnut paste with butter.
- Add egg and egg yolk and then flour. Mix well but just to blend all ingredients completely.
For the assembly:
- Wash, dry and cut figs in half.
- Pur walnut cream evenly over pie dough, and arrange the half pieces of figs on top.Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for about 30 minutes, until figs are beginning to soften and walnut cream is puffy.
- Let cool on wire rack, unmold onto serving plate and drizzle with honey before serving.
graham cracker dough from Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, by Nancy Silverton
walnut cream adapted from Simply Sensational Desserts, by François Payard
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Make sure you take a look at what the rest of the group is sharing today:
Mother’s Day Brunch:
- Blueberry Coffee Cake from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Cornbread Pancakes with Blackberries from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Crepes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Hot N Sweet Mango Chutney from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Lemon Glazed Raspberry Scones from Juanita’s Cocina
- Quiche Lorraine from Supper for a Steal
- Seafood Quiche from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Strawberry Rhubarb Compote from Noshing with the Nolands
- Sweet French Breakfast Crepes from Curious Cuisiniere
- Vidalia Onion Quiche from Comfy Cuisine
Mother’s Day Entrees:
- Cod with Stewed Tomatoes from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches with Herbed Goat Cheesefrom Foxes Love Lemons
- Lemon Risotto from Healthy. Delicious.
- Lobster Ravioli with Shrimp Caper Sauce from Family Foodie
- Pork dumpling (Shumai) from The Urban Mrs.
Mother’s Day Sides:
- Spaetzle from Magnolia Days
Mother’s Day Desserts and Drinks:
- Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Gotta Get Baked
- Chocolate Kahlua Cream Pie from Ruffles & Truffles
- Espresso Brownies from What Smells So Good?
- Fresh Blackberry Elderflower Sorbet from Shockingly Delicious
- Gluten Free Coconut Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Berries, and Fresh Whipped Cream from Neighborfood
- Lavender Shortbread Cookies from girlichef
- Lemon Meringue Pie from Pies and Plots
- Lemon Petit Fours from Home Cooking Memories
- Lemon Sorbet in Prosecco from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Milky Way Brownies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Mini Coconut Pies from La Cocina de Leslie
- Mini Strawberry and Cheese Pies from Basic N Delicious
- Mom’s Apple Crisp from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Mom’s Texas Sheetcake from Daily Dish Recipes
- Mum´s Strawberry Cake from My Cute Bride
- Raspberry and Hazlenut Friands from Happy Baking Days
- Semolina Balls (Suji Laddoo) from Soni’s Food
- Too-Good-to-Be-Lowfat Chocolate Eclair Icebox Dessert from The Weekend Gourmet
Don’t forget to join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter today to celebrate Mother’s Day!
We’ll tweet throughout the day and share our delicious recipes. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the
#SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join
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Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.
A beautiful post and a beautiful mom! I absolutely love your fresh fig and walnut pie. I would love to take a bite but I do not want to ruin your beautiful photography photos. Have a super weekend. BAM
Such a lovely post, Paula! A wonderful tribute to your beautiful mother….you resemble her quite a bit!
You know how I feel about figs…I will definitely be making this! I can’t wait till the fresh figs are in the market! Have a wonderful day!
What a post Paula. So glad you didn't lose all the photos in the flood. What memories that must have gone though your head when you were writing this post. It's a lovely tribute and one that will be cherished by your family for sure.
Your pie is stunning. It is the most beautiful fig pie I've ever seen. You have such talent.
Paula, I loved reading about your Mom! She's beautiful, just like you. This fig pie looks like the perfect treat for her.
What an incredible pie! I know my fig-loving husband would go ga-ga for it!
That looks luscious and is stunningly gorgeous! Great recipe for #SundaySupper!
I really enjoyed all of the photos of you and your mom. That pie looks incredible, especially those fresh figs!
Paula – this is one of my favorite posts of yours – so personal, honest and caring. You and your mother do look so much alike and you are both so beautiful! Happy Mother's Day to her, and happy Thankful Daughter's Day to you! The tart looks amazing – I can't wait until our tree gives us some ripe figs so that we can make this! ~ David
This is so lovely. I've never baked with figs before but they're just so beautiful and tasty, I really need to start! Also walnut cream sounds like the most incredible thing ever. Your mom is so beautiful…just like this tart!
Okay your dish is absolutely gorgeous and your mom is so unbelievably beautiful. Loved all the family photos.
What a stunning pie and I absolutely love all the photos of your mom and the story.
Paula, of course your fig pie is out of this world and completely gorgeous (I love figs) but let's focus on talking about your mom. Wowzas she is a stunning lady! I loved this photo history of her, thank you so much for sharing them. I'm glad to hear that the flood didn't destroy all your pictures – that would've been devastating. And dang, your mom is 62 in that last photo?! I would've never guessed because she still looks young, vibrant and incredible. This was a beautiful post!
Such a beautiful post about your mom! Great pictures! Your tart look fantastic!
A beautiful post and I enjoyed reading and learning about your mom!Lovely pics too 🙂
This tart sounds and looks absolutely gorgeous.I love figs too and combining it with walnut seems like a great idea 🙂 Pinning it right now!
This is one very beautiful tart, Paula. Your mother looks elegant and beautiful.
You mother is so beautiful! 🙂
You wouldn't believe this..just a week ago I was looking at fresh figs and thinking what would it be possible to do with them 🙂
Oh Paula,
I love all of these photos of you and your mom. . I was actually looking for some today myself and can't find that many. . I think most of them are in Dallas or on a DVD or CD rom somewhere. . the not so good thing about technology. . I don't have as many real photos to hold and look at.
When you said she never lost her temper with you the way you did with her. . I can totally relate! I am ashamed to say that last year, when my mom was visiting us out here in WA, I totally lost my temper with my mother. . and I felt horrible (just sick) afterwards. . and even I am a mother now but I still think I will never be the kind of mother my mom was to me. I can only strive to be that for my daughters. They deserve that.
You were a gorgeous bride . . I must say. . and if this is your mom's fave. . the fig and walnut pie. . well, then she has beautiful taste! so lovely!!! what a great post, Paula!
Those figs look gorgeous, Paula!
Your mom sounds like a wonderful person. My mom also helps me with whatever I'm working on and has endless patience. It's too bad I didn't get that trait! And this pie! Love that you used graham cracker dough to make the crust. That is awesome, Paula! Love walnuts and figs too!
This is such a lovely post about your mom. I love all your photos, so glad you didn't lose too many to the water. Your pie looks absolutely gorgeous, love all the fresh figs!